Go Back
–+ servings

Four-Ingredient Pasta

Please rate us
A simple yet comforting pasta dish made with just four ingredients: pasta, butter, garlic, and Parmesan. Perfect for a quick, budget-friendly family meal.
Print it Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Calories: 400
Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

Main Ingredients
  • 12 oz 12 oz (340 g) spaghetti or your favorite long pasta
  • 4 tbsp 4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 3–4 cloves 3–4 cloves garlic, minced (or 1–2 tbsp roasted garlic for a milder note)
  • 3/4 to 1 cup 3/4 to 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese Optional pantry items: salt, black pepper, chili flakes, lemon zest.

Method
 

Cooking
  1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Generously salt the water — it should taste like seawater.
  2. Add pasta and cook until just shy of al dente (about 1–2 minutes less than package directions). Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain.
Sautéing
  1. While the pasta cooks, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat.
  2. Add minced garlic and cook 1–2 minutes, stirring, until fragrant and only slightly golden (don’t burn).
Combining
  1. Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss to combine.
  2. Add 2–3 tablespoons of reserved pasta water and stir vigorously to emulsify the butter into a silky sauce. Add more water a tablespoon at a time if it feels dry.
Finishing
  1. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan, a grind of black pepper, and taste for seasoning.
  2. Serve right away with extra cheese on the side.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 400kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 12gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 10gSodium: 500mgFiber: 3gSugar: 1g

Notes

For gluten-free, use high-quality gluten-free pasta. For vegan, swap butter for vegan spread and Parmesan for nutritional yeast or vegan Parmesan. Best served immediately.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!