Garlic Butter Noodles (Printable Version)

Tender noodles coated in fragrant garlic butter, garnished with parsley and Parmesan for a quick flavorful dish.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 7 oz spaghetti or fettuccine

→ Garlic Butter

02 - 3 tbsp unsalted butter
03 - 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
04 - 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
05 - 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
06 - 1/2 tsp sea salt, plus more for pasta water
07 - 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

→ Finishing

08 - 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
09 - Zest of 1/2 lemon (optional)

# Step-by-Step Guide:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1/4 cup of cooking water, then drain the pasta.
02 - Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add minced garlic and red pepper flakes if using; sauté gently for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant without browning.
03 - Add drained pasta to the skillet and toss to coat with garlic butter. If noodles seem dry, add a splash of the reserved pasta water.
04 - Stir in parsley, salt, and black pepper; toss well to combine. Divide between bowls, topping with Parmesan and lemon zest if desired. Serve immediately.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • It's honest food that doesn't pretend to be anything fancy—just noodles and butter doing exactly what they were meant to do together.
  • Ready in 15 minutes with ingredients most people already have, making it the perfect answer to 'what's for dinner.'
  • The kind of simple dish that somehow tastes better than recipes twice as complicated.
02 -
  • Garlic can go from golden and fragrant to burnt and ruined in the time it takes to look away, so keep the heat at medium-low and stay present.
  • That reserved pasta water is magic—the starch in it emulsifies everything together and turns a dry dish into something silky and whole.
  • Timing matters; serve this the moment it's ready because it gets gluey and sad if it sits in the pan too long.
03 -
  • Don't let your butter brown; keep the heat low and patient, because the garlic matters more than you think and burning it ruins everything.
  • Taste constantly as you cook—this recipe has so few ingredients that seasoning has nowhere to hide, so trust your palate more than instructions.
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