Get my Cookbooks! Garlic Butter Pasta (One Pot!)
This one pot Garlic Butter Pasta recipe has the best herb-infused sauce with fresh garlic and a hint of Parmesan and lemon juice. It’s a great meatless meal or side dish recipe!
Be sure to try my Homemade Spaghettios and my One Pot Lemon Chicken Orzo recipes next!
Garlic Butter Pasta
This Garlic Butter Pasta is as good as it gets! It’s a 30-minute meal that also makes a delicious side dish, and it’s all made in ONE pot!
The buttery garlic herb sauce is so flavorful and a ton of pasta options work well here. (I went for Shellbow pasta because it’s a cross between shells and elbow pasta. How fun is that?!)
It’s finished off with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh lemon juice which really makes the flavors pop! I can’t wait for you to try this, scroll down for my PRO tips!
How to Make It
Note: This is an overview. See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Heat the butter, garlic, and seasonings in a soup pot. Stir continuously until the butter starts to foam. Add the chicken broth, half and half, soy sauce, and chicken bouillon cube.
Bring to a boil and add the pasta. Bring back to a gentle boil and cook the pasta to al dente. Reduce heat to low and stir in the Parmesan cheese. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice. Add 1 more tbsp. butter and let it melt. Stir it into the pasta and serve.
Pro Tips
- Pasta: I use DeLallo Shellbow Pasta for this (a cross between shells and elbows 😁), but a variety of options work well, including Cavatappi, Medium Shells, Orecchiette, Farfalle, and Rotini.
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic cloves for this recipe (not jarred minced garlic), the taste is so much better.
- Parmesan: Grate the cheese from a wedge, it will melt and taste much better than packaged grated cheese. I use Belgioioso parmesan.
- Lemon Juice: If possible, use freshly squeezed lemon juice as the flavor is far superior than bottled lemon juice.
- Flavor Enhancers: The mustard powder and soy sauce are flavor enhancers that you can’t taste outright.
- Adding Chicken: For a similar recipe with some protein, try my Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta.
- Serve this Garlic Butter Pasta with my Chicken Milanese, Garlic Bread With Cheese or with my No Knead Bread and Olive Oil Bread Dip!
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. This doesn’t reheat exactly back to its original consistency but the flavor is great.
- Reheating this pasta in a makeshift double boiler on the stove top is the best way to restore it to its original form.
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links*)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- Spice Rack–This is the one I have, it’s a snap to measure out your seasonings quickly and easily. (Big time saver.)
- Box Cheese Grater– Always grate cheese from a block, it melts and tastes much better. Packaged grated cheese contains cellulose which prevents it from melting as well.
- Garlic Peeler & Garlic Twister– Makes it really easy to peel fresh garlic.
- Lemon Squeezer– Use fresh lemon juice over bottled if possible.
- Better Than Bouillon– This is what I always use for broth/bouillon in my recipes. It takes very little space and makes it easy to measure out customized amounts.
- Measuring Spoons– I have these magnetic ones which stay nice and organized in my utensil drawer.
*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Try These Next
-
- Baked Ravioli
-
- Homemade Spaghettios
-
- Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
-
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
-
- Chicken Meatball Soup
-
- Chicken and Broccoli Pasta
Get My Free E-Book!
- I’ve got a FREE e-Book with 7 super popular dinner recipes! Click here to join my email list and I’ll send your e-Book right over!
- And be sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, & Facebook!
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Garlic Butter Pasta (One Pot!)
Ingredients
Seasonings
- ¾ teaspoon EACH: dried basil, oregano, parsley, mustard powder
- ¼ teaspoon EACH: dried thyme, onion powder, pepper
Sauce/Pasta
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 2 ¾ cups chicken broth
- ¾ cup half and half
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- ½ chicken bouillon cube
- ¾ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ lb. Shellbow pasta, see notes
Instructions
- Combine the seasonings and set aside. Measure out remaining ingredients before beginning. This recipe goes quick, so you want to be ready.
- Add 3 tbsps. of the butter to a soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and seasonings. Stir continuously until the butter starts to foam.
- Add the chicken broth, half and half, soy sauce, and bouillon cube.
- Bring to a boil and add the pasta. Bring back to a gentle boil and cook uncovered according to package instructions. Run a silicone spatula along the bottom of the pot throughout cooking to lift any pasta that may be settling to the bottom. Taste-test the pasta for doneness before proceeding.
- Reduce heat to low and gradually stir in the Parmesan cheese. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and cover the pot to let it melt. Gently stir it into the pasta and serve!
Notes
- Pasta: I use DeLallo Shellbow Pasta for this (a cross between shells and elbows 😁), but a variety of options work well, including Cavatappi, Medium Shells, Orecchiette, Farfalle, Rotini.
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic cloves for this recipe (not jarred minced garlic), the taste is so much better.
- Parmesan: Grate the cheese from a wedge, it will melt and taste much better than packaged grated cheese. I use Belgioioso parmesan.
- Lemon Juice: If possible, use freshly squeezed lemon juice as the flavor is far superior than bottled lemon juice.
- Flavor Enhancers: The mustard powder and soy sauce are flavor enhancers that you can't taste outright.
- Adding Chicken: For a similar recipe with some protein, try my Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta.
- Serve this Garlic Butter Pasta with my Chicken Milanese, Garlic Bread With Cheese or with my No Knead Bread and Olive Oil Bread Dip!
Storage:
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. This doesn't reheat exactly back to its original consistency but the flavor is great.
- Reheating this pasta in a makeshift double boiler on the stove top is the best way to restore it to its original form.
Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. There are 6 servings in this recipe.
Absolutely delicious!!!
Yayyyy! I’m so happy you liked it so much, thanks for taking the time to leave a review!!😀
This recipe was easy to make and sooooo delicious. My adult son asked me after one bite, to make it once a week. We both loved it. Thank you for sharing.
I am SO thrilled to hear that Winnie!!!! You made my day, I love this one so much too! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!! 🙂
Very good. Added chicken and fire roasted primavera mistura.
Nice work Danielle!! I love your tweaks. Definitely an easy one to add chicken or steak too. Thanks so much for the great review!!🩷