Garlic Butter Pasta
Never has such an easy recipe been so popular with the kids. Our garlic butter pasta can be served as a side dish for the adults, and finicky youngsters will go bananas for this simple pasta dish made with Parmesan cheese, butter and a little garlic salt to taste!
The most important element of keeping your pasta moist is to reserve some of the liquid from the pot prior to draining. It will help loosen the shells and achieve a nice consistency when you add the other ingredients. Should you accidentally drain all the water, a splash of milk will do the trick!
If you’d like to use an alternative to butter, we recommend olive oil as a substitute. Using freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh ground pepper will also dress up this dish if you’re trying to impress company.
Garlic Butter Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 oz small shells, about 1½ cups
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water for 1–2 minutes less than indicated on the package. Prior to draining pasta, remove about ½ cup of the cooking liquid and set aside.
- Drain pasta well then immediately return to pan. Stir in butter, Parmesan cheese and garlic salt. Stir in a small amount of reserved pasta water, loosening pasta to desired consistency. If you forgot to reserve some of the pasta water before draining, just use a little milk.
- Add pepper to taste then stir until sauce becomes nice and creamy. Serve immediately and enjoy.