This creamy Garlic Parmesan Pasta is easy to make at home in one pot! Angel hair pasta cooks in a flavorful buttery cream sauce in just 10 minutes. Pair this with chicken, steak, or shrimp for a delicious meal that your family will love!
Serve this with Chicken Piccata or Creamy Lemon Chicken and a side of my Garlic Bread with Cheese!
Garlic Parmesan Pasta
This recipe is a GEM in our house. Even my super picky four year old loves this pasta. (I mean what kid can really say no to buttery pasta noodles?) She even likes this with chicken. (Not chicken nuggets, actual chicken.) Something about pairing this pasta with chicken works for her. Personally, I recommend my chicken piccata or creamy lemon chicken for that!
What’s even better about this, is that it takes 20 minutes from beginning to end, prep work and all. Set a timer, I kid you not! Nothing beats a 30 minute meal (or less) that you can rely on.
How to Make it
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic, cook for one minute. Then add the chicken broth
Stir in the milk. Bring the liquid to a boil, then add the pasta.
You will eventually be able to twist the pasta into the pan as it heats up. Kitchen tongs work well for this.
Let the pasta cook for 4-5 minutes. Once the pasta is done, turn off the heat. Add 1 tbsp butter and toss to coat. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese into the sauce and stir to combine. It will thicken upon standing.
The Trick to Extra Creamy Sauce
- Purchase a block of high-quality Parmesan cheese. Always shred the cheese yourself, it will taste and melt much better.
- Turn off the heat before adding the cheese, if the base is too hot, the dairy will separate and you’ll have a grainy consistency instead of creamy.
- Add the cheese gradually as opposed to all at once.
Using Spaghetti Instead of Angel Hair
If you prefer to use regular spaghetti: Add an extra 1/2 cup of chicken broth, an extra 1/2 cup of milk, and up to 1/3 cup more cheese. You’ll need about 12-15 minutes of cooking time, refer to the package for guidance on how much time is needed to cook the pasta.
What to Serve with Garlic Parmesan Pasta
- Chicken Piccata
- Creamy Lemon Chicken
- Chicken Florentine
- Lemon Garlic Shrimp
- Minced clams 1 or 2 (6.5 oz.) cans. Add them when you add the chicken broth.
- Chicken Milanese
- Grilled Chicken or Steak
- Garlic Bread with Cheese
- Roasted Broccoli
Storing Leftovers
- Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
- You can also freeze it and store it for up to 3 months.
Try These Next
- Bacon Mac and Cheese
- Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
- Ground Beef Pasta
- Baked Potato Soup
- Broccoli Pasta
- Copycat Longhorn Parmesan Crusted Chicken
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Garlic Parmesan Pasta (One Pot!)
Ingredients
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 3 Tablespoons butter, divided
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup milk
- 8 oz. angel hair pasta
- Fresh Parsley, to garnish
Optional seasonings: ¼ tsp of each: onion powder, oregano, thyme, parsley, pepper.
Instructions
- Grate the Parmesan cheese and set it aside to allow it to get to room temperature.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a large skillet.
- Add the minced garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the chicken broth and optional seasoning mix. Slowly add the milk, stirring as you do so. Bring to a boil.
- Add the pasta noodles. You can break them in half for a better fit, or allow them to heat and use kitchen tongs to twist them into the skillet as they soften.
- Let the pasta simmer for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure the noodles don't stick together. Remove from the heat.
- Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the warm pasta and toss to coat.
- Gradually sprinkle in the Parmesan cheese, stirring as you do so, until smooth and well-combined. Note: The sauce will be thin at first but will thicken nicely upon standing. The pasta will continue to absorb more of the sauce as well.
- Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve with Garlic Bread with Cheese!
Notes
If you prefer to use regular spaghetti: Add an extra 1/2 cup of chicken broth, an extra 1/2 cup of milk, and up to 1/3 cup more cheese. You'll need about 12-15 minutes of cooking time, refer to the package for guidance on how much time is needed to cook the pasta.
I’m Sophia and I just made with my mom and dad this and this recipe is awesome.I just doubled the garlic
Great job Sophia! I’m so happy this was a hit, thanks so much for the great comments and for taking the time to leave a review!😃
Do you use milk or half and half? In the Video is has half and half but in the recipe it says milk.
Hi Sher! I have successfully made it with both, but more recently turned to using milk just because the half and half ended up sometimes being just slightly thicker than I wanted it to be!
Just made this and all I gotta say is wow! Everyone that ate it said it’s the best pasta they ever had. I doubled the recipe and ate it with Hawaiian garlic sautéed shrimp. Award winning dinner! Thanks for sharing!
It’s my pleasure Justin, I’m so happy everyone enjoyed it! Sounds so perfect alongside Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp, yummmm!😋 Thanks so much for the great comments and review!
Last minute and had nothing planned for dinner, no meat thawed-nothing. Found this recipe and made the pasta without the seasonings. It was super fast and DELICIOUS. I just added some microwave frozen veggies and was done. We will definitely have this again.
I’m so happy you’ll be having this one again Sherryl! I love that you were able to add some quick veggies to this. It’s so great how customizable this recipe is. Thanks so much for the great comments and review!❤️
Very easy to make and tasted great. I added grilled chicken and served with steamed broccoli to make it a complete meal. Will probably add more garlic and use thin spaghetti next time.
Absolutely fantastic. Easy to prep with ready ingredients I had on hand. Served with a baked salmon filet on top. Quick! Delicious! Will make this again and again. Thank you!
Sounds like such a yummy dish Pamela, I bet the baked salmon on top is perfect! Thanks so much for the great comments, happy to hear you’ll be making this one again!😃