The Cozy Cookbook is here! 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 Creamy Garlic Shrimp 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?)
If you’re looking for something great to pair this with, I recommend my chicken piccata or creamy lemon chicken for that!
What’s great about this meal 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, reduce heat to low. 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. I use Belgioioso Parmesan cheese. Note that cheese that is very aged will not melt as well.
- 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. Stir it continuously as it’s added.
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
- Creamy Garlic Shrimp
- Chicken Piccata
- Creamy Lemon Chicken
- Chicken Florentine
- 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
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- Beef Fried Rice
-
- Chicken Enchiladas
-
- Pasta Primavera
-
- Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
-
- Chicken and Orzo
-
- Ground Beef Pasta
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Tried This Recipe?
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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
- Note: Angel hair cooks very quickly. Refer to the time on package and set a timer to avoid overcooking, as overcooked noodles become clumpy.
- 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. Reduce heat to low.
- 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
- Make sure the liquid is boiling when the pasta is added for the right consistency.
- The video shows this being made with half and half. I tend to use milk now, as the sauce ends up thickening up just a tad more than I would like with half and half, but I have successfully made it with either one! 🙂
- Purchase a block of high-quality Parmesan cheese. Always shred the cheese yourself, it will taste and melt much better. I use Belgioioso Parmesan cheese. Note that cheese that is very aged will not melt as well.
- 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. Stir it continuously as it's added.
- Adding Chicken: If you'd like to add chicken to this, try my Angel Hair Pasta with Chicken! It's like an amped up version of this recipe!
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.
Serve this with:
- Lemon Pepper Chicken
- Creamy Garlic Shrimp
- Chicken Piccata
- Creamy Lemon Chicken
- Chicken Florentine
- Garlic Bread with Cheese
- Roasted Broccoli
Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. There are 4 servings in this recipe.
OH.MY.GOODNESS!!! This recipe is THE BOMB!!! So easy and so much flavor! I had shrimp to add. Perfect! I can’t wait to see what other recipes you have!
Thanks so much Lynda!😃 I’m so happy to hear you liked this one so much. It is soooo good with shrimp!😋 Thanks so much for the review!
Quick, easy, and pleasing to the eye with the creamy crowd-loving noodles paired on our plates with the crispy yet juicy Chicken Milanese (also on this blog)
It was a 6 out of 6 for extra helpings in our house!
The arugula salad was also a gem and a few lemon wedges next to the salad made for a beautiful meal set before my family. Bonus points: some great conversation with the hungry teenagers in our house is always easier with a delicious meal. Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear this Kim, thanks so much for the great review!😀 I love that you were able to have some great convo with hungry teenagers! I love how food can bring everyone together!😀
Delicious. Super easy, can throw together after work. 2nd amazing recipe from this site.
I am so happy to hear that Vicki! I LOVE making this one, it’s the best way to get my 4 year old daughter to eat her dinner, we always serve it with some grilled chicken. Thanks so much for the review, I really appreciate it! -Stephanie
This pasta was delicious! Even my picky two year old sat and ate her entire bowl all on her own and then asked for more! My foodie loving 9 year old absolutely loved it as well and had seconds too. I used some Bucatini pasta I had from a trip to Italy and it was just perfect. The pasta is like a thick spaghetti with a tiny hole running through it so I used extra liquid as mentioned in the recipe and kept a close eye on it adding a little bit extra if the sauce became too dry and the pasta still had more cooking to do. It’s a few days after Christmas and we had loads of turkey left so I chopped some of the leftover turkey meat along with some small cooked broccoli florets and added it in at the last minute. I will definitely be making this again. Super easy and a real winner. Will try it next time with prawns. This would be great with cubbed chicken and peas too!
Hey Andrea! I am SO happy to hear that, you made my day! And I absolutely love the ingredients that you added! This makes such a great base for additions like that. Thank you so much for sharing what you did and how you liked it! You’re the best! -Stephanie
I have tried so many of these recipes trying to better boxed noodles. My kids still just want boxed. I finally won with this one. Very good. Thank you.
Hey Jason, so happy that you enjoyed this one! We love it and make it all the time!
This pasta was delicious! Simple, quick and flavorful…I will definitely be cooking this again real soon….
I’m so happy to hear that!😀 This is becoming one of my favorites. Thanks so much for the review!
I forgot to give it a star rating… sorry – I give it 5 stars because of its ease and it was delicious!! It was a quick dinner for a week night. And these recipes make my life easier! I don’t get home until 5:20p from work so a quick and easy recipe is what I love!
Thanks so much for the awesome review Michelle! I’m so glad these recipes are making your life easier!❤️ When I worked in the corporate world I also struggled to find time to cook. I was always on the lookout for simple recipes. That’s what inspired me to start this blog!❤️
I made this for my family last night for dinner! Delicious! Even my pickiest eater ate it and had 2 servings! I used milk. It was delicious! I also browned thin cut chicken breast in the pan before making the recipe. Then I added the chicken back to the pan once the spaghetti was al dente and it was all so perfect!
Looking forward to making this again and other recipes of yours!
Thank you!!
I’m happy to hear even your pickiest eater ate it! That’s always the ultimate test.😄 I can’t wait for you to try some other recipes!
I think I found out why it was so dry, I’m almost 6,000 feet above sea level,
Should I double the ingredients?
Hi Brian! I would probably make the recipe as-is, but also warm up some milk and stir it into the pasta when it’s done until you’ve reached the consistency that you like!
This was absolutely delicious!! Everyone loved it. It reminds us of something I loved as a child. But this is much better!! Definitely a keeper!
Thanks so much Mary, happy to hear you liked it!😍 I love how versatile this one is. It tastes great by itself or with chicken, steak, or shrimp!