How to make creamy garlic butter pasta sauce?- Food 4 Kitchen

Creamy garlic butter pasta sauce is one of my favorite dishes to make during the wintertime. The great thing about it is that it’s easy to make, low in calories, and only has a few ingredients. It’s also a very versatile recipe that you can add different spices and vegetables to, making it feel like you’re getting multiple dishes out of one dish.

creamy garlic butter pasta sauce

Creamy garlic butter pasta sauce

How to make creamy garlic butter pasta sauce?

Ingredients for creamy garlic butter pasta sauce

  • 1 pound pasta, I like penne (or short pasta) the best for this dish but you can also use linguine.
  • 2 tablespoons butter, warmed up.
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced (and minced in a food processor so it’s easy to make a smaller and more evenly sized clove of minced garlic).
  • Optional – 1/2 cup of broccoli added to the sauce before cooking pasta.
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes.
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning.

Ingredients for creamy garlic butter pasta sauce

Ingredients for creamy garlic butter pasta sauce

Instructions for creamy garlic butter pasta sauce

  • Follow the package directions when cooking pasta. I like my pasta pretty well done but you can make it how you like it. In a large pot, bring water to a boil, add salt and 1 tablespoon olive oil.
  • While the pasta is cooking, heat a separate pan over low/medium heat. One tablespoon of butter should be added and melted. Then add the garlic cloves and stir them around in the pan for about 20 seconds or until they are soft and fragrant and don’t let them burn. Add vegetables if you’re using any (I used broccoli).
  • While your garlic is cooking, measure out one teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes (or more if you love spicy food) into a small bowl. Combine the Italian seasoning with the pasta and stir well.
  • When the garlic is soft, add the red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning to the butter/garlic mixture in your pan and stir thoroughly so that all of your ingredients are combined. I like to use my spoon, you can just use your hands for this part if you’d like.
  • When you’re ready to start cooking your pasta, drain and set aside half of your pasta water for later use. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil into the pan that has the garlic butter/seasoning mixture in it and heat over medium heat until just warm.
  • Add the pasta to the pan with the butter/seasoning mixture and carefully mix with your spoon or spatula until it’s evenly coated.
  • Reduce heat to low and add 1/2 cup of reserved water (from the pasta) and stir (to create a cream sauce).
  • Stir occasionally for about three minutes or until everything is well combined. I usually make this recipe on Sundays, so that we have leftovers for a few days. You can also put all of your ingredients in a pan (minus the water from cooking the pasta) and bring it to work, just make sure you have a microwave in your break room! Enjoy!

Besides you can see creamy garlic butter salmon recipe here

Instructions for creamy garlic butter pasta sauce

Instructions for creamy garlic butter pasta sauce

Cooking notes for creamy garlic butter pasta sauce

  • I love adding broccoli to this recipe to give it a little bit extra flavor and nutrients. The extra 1/2 cup water you add in step 6 isn’t enough to cook the broccoli, so I just add my broccoli when I’m stirring the pasta around in step 7.
  • If you’re not a fan of garlic then this recipe isn’t for you, but if you are be sure to use at least four cloves of garlic! I love garlic and some people might not even be able to tell because after cooking it down it kind of melts into the butter.
  • This dish is a great way to get leftover pasta and butter out of your fridge. Instead of throwing them away or putting them in your compost pile, stick them in a pan and make this easy recipe the next time you have leftover food!
  • The best part about this recipe is that you can put anything you want into it, just be sure to add the broccoli in step three and use half of your pasta water (step 6) when adding it to the pan! You can add spinach, tomatoes, chopped-up onions, or any other vegetable that you like with pasta.
  • I like to make this dish during the wintertime when I feel like eating creamy pasta with butter sauce. It’s also great for summer because you’re adding a little bit of vegetable into your meal, which means it’s going to be more filling.
  • This recipe makes about 3-4 cups of sauce so I usually make it in a large pot to get enough for the week!
  • This recipe is enough to feed 4-6 people, depending on how much pasta you use.
  • Don’t be afraid to add more garlic or crushed red pepper flakes if you like spices!
  • You don’t need a food processor for this recipe, just whisk together the ingredients in a bowl and you’re ready to go!
  • I like to use 1 pound (16 oz) of pasta for this recipe because it’s what I usually have on hand and it makes three different dishes! If you only have one kind of pasta and not the two, I’d recommend making the amount shown in step 2, which will make one dish with enough sauce for two people (one dish would feed one person).

Use pasta for this recipe

Use pasta for this recipe

Some questions about creamy garlic butter pasta sauce

Can you just use butter to make this recipe?

 Yes, that’s what I usually do! I like the garlic in this recipe but if you’re not a fan of it, you can just use butter and skip the step.

When making spaghetti sauce, what do you use?

Pasta sauce is a combination of tomatoes, spices, and seasonings cooked together to make a creamy pasta sauce.

How do you make pasta sauce?

 There are probably 100s of recipes out there for pasta sauce, but my favorite one is just crushed tomatoes, garlic and salt mixed together in a pan and simmered over medium heat for about 20 minutes. 

If I don’t have chicken paste, can I use tomato paste too?

Not really. The two aren’t mentioned together in the recipe so if you’re really desperate, you could try it but I wouldn’t recommend it.

How long does pasta need to cook in the sauce before serving?

I would say about three minutes under medium heat. Cooking pasta is a quick process, so watch it carefully!

Why do pasta sauces go so well together?

If you’re making this recipe for dinner and there are leftovers, then I’ll usually just add a little bit of ground beef and stir that into my pasta with a cup of chicken broth to make spaghetti and meatballs. Other great options are adding some chopped-up bell peppers and onions, or just mixing in some spinach or other vegetables.

Creamy garlic butter pasta sauce is a great meal for everyone to enjoy. I like to make this recipe on Sundays so that we have leftovers for the rest of the week. You can let the sauce simmer while you’re eating dinner and then add your ingredients to it when you’re ready to eat.

If you don’t have chicken broth in your house, adding some cream or milk will still give your sauce a creamy texture without altering its flavor too much. There are many different kinds of pasta sauce out there, but most of them come from crushed tomatoes, garlic, and spices.

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