Name: 15-Minute Garlic Butter Pasta
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian-American
Ingredients: 1 lb spaghetti; 6 tbsp unsalted butter; 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; ½ tsp red pepper flakes; 1 cup reserved pasta water; 2 oz parmesan, finely grated; kosher salt, to taste; black pepper, freshly ground, to taste

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15 mineasy620 CAL

(tested 9 times. we counted.)

The weeknight backstop: pantry ingredients, one pot plus the pasta pot, and a sauce built from starchy pasta water. Undercook the pasta by two minutes — it finishes in the sauce.

vegetarianstovetopprep 5 min · cook 10 min · 4 servings · by The Test Kitchen

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Starchy pasta water emulsifies with butter into a sauce that clings instead of pooling.
Finishing the pasta in the skillet lets it absorb flavor during its last two minutes of cooking.
Adding cheese off the heat in stages prevents clumping.

Boil the pasta
Cook the spaghetti in well-salted water for 2 minutes less than the package directs. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
1 lb spaghetti1 cup reserved pasta water
Toast the garlic
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the garlic is pale gold at the edges.
6 tbsp unsalted butter8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced½ tsp red pepper flakes
Marry pasta and sauce
Add the drained pasta and ¾ cup of the reserved water to the skillet. Toss over medium-high heat until the water emulsifies with the butter and coats the noodles.
1 lb spaghetti1 cup reserved pasta water
Finish
Off the heat, add the parmesan in two additions, tossing constantly. Loosen with more pasta water if needed. Season with salt and plenty of black pepper.
2 oz parmesan, finely gratedkosher salt, to tasteblack pepper, freshly ground, to taste