15-Minute Garlic Butter Pasta

15 min · 4 servings · The Test Kitchen · titleunknownyet — /recipes/garlic-butter-pasta

Ingredients

• Pasta: 1 lb spaghetti
• Sauce: 6 tbsp unsalted butter
• Sauce: 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• Sauce: ½ tsp red pepper flakes
• Sauce: 1 cup reserved pasta water
• Sauce: 2 oz parmesan, finely grated
• kosher salt, to taste
• black pepper, freshly ground, to taste

Method

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.

Notes

1. European-style butter makes a noticeably silkier sauce, but any unsalted butter works.

Storage: Refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat gently with a splash of water to revive the sauce.