Creamy Garlic Pasta

Silky, garlicky, and ready in twenty minutes, this creamy garlic pasta is the weeknight dinner you will come back to again and again. A simple sauce of garlic, cream, and parmesan clings to every strand of pasta, and it needs no fancy ingredients.

Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 15 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 400 g fettuccine or spaghetti
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 cup double cream
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan, plus more to serve
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes (optional)
• Salt and black pepper
• Chopped parsley, to serve

Method

1. Cook the pasta in a large pan of salted boiling water until just al dente. Before draining, save a mug of the starchy pasta water.
2. While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and chilli flakes and cook gently for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant but not browned.
3. Pour in the cream and simmer for 2 minutes, then stir in the parmesan until the sauce is smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add the drained pasta to the sauce and toss well, loosening with splashes of pasta water until the sauce coats every strand.
5. Serve at once with extra parmesan and chopped parsley.

Tips

Use the reserved pasta water to thin the sauce; the starch in it helps the sauce cling instead of sliding off. Stir in a handful of spinach or some cooked chicken to make it a fuller meal. Reheat leftovers gently with a splash of milk so the cream sauce does not split.