Get my Cookbooks! Creamy Herb Pasta
This Herb Pasta recipe has a delicious Parmesan cream sauce with butter, garlic, herbs, white wine, and linguine. It’s a perfect main course with roasted vegetables, and also pairs nicely with a variety of chicken dishes.
Creamy Herb Pasta
If you’re in the mood for a deliciously creamy, gourmet-style pasta that doesn’t take a lot of work but has a ton of flavor, you’ve come to the right place! This recipe comes together super quickly and makes a great side dish for a variety of meals, but is also an excellent main course that you can serve with roasted vegetables.
It starts by reducing some white wine in butter and garlic, (see pro tips for wine substitute). From there we add a little flour to create a roux, and slowly add a combination of chicken broth, half and half, and herbs. Freshly grated Parmesan cheese further enhances the sauce, and freshly squeezed lemon juice adds the perfect finish. Add some linguine and some freshly cracked pepper, and your gourmet meal is done!
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Add butter, garlic, and white wine to a skillet and bring it to a gentle boil. Let it reduce by half and whisk in the flour. Cook for 2 minutes, then add half and half, chicken broth, seasonings. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer.
Stir in Parmesan cheese, then remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Add cooked linguine and toss to combine. Garnish with parsley and lemon wedges and serve!
Pro Tips
- Wine: Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio are my favorite wines for this recipe. It adds next-level flavor to this sauce but chicken broth can be used if you don’t cook with wine.
- Pasta: I use linguine for this recipe but penne and fettuccine make great options as well.
- Grate the cheese from a wedge, it will melt and taste much better than packaged grated cheese.
- Use freshly squeezed lemon juice if possible, as the flavor is far superior than bottled lemon juice.
- Make sure the heat is off when you add the lemon juice at the end. Add it slowly and stir in continuously to ensure it doesn’t cause the cream to curdle.
- I like to crack a little of this lemon pepper seasoning into the butter/garlic/wine while it reduces for a little extra flavor!
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. This does reheat well.
- Reheating this pasta in a makeshift double boiler on the stove top is the best way to restore it to its original form.
- Another reheating tip: I like to reserve and store some of the pasta water (about 1/2 cup), and add small splashes of it to the pasta while it reheats, it helps “loosen” up the noodles/sauce and restores it back to its original consistency. You don’t have to use the entire reserved amount.
Tools For This Recipe
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- 3-Quart Stainless Steel Sauté Pan– The same size as pictured in this recipe.
- Cheese Grater– Always shred your cheese from a block for soups and sauces, it melts and tastes much better than packaged shredded cheese. I use Belgioioso parmesan.
- Pasta Strainer– I have this one and love it.
- Measuring Spoons– I have these magnetic ones which stay nice and organized in my utensil drawer.
- Pinch Bowls– for measuring out seasonings ahead of time.
Try These Next!
-
- Creamy Chicken Pasta
-
- Caprese Pasta
-
- Greek Chicken
-
- Chicken Noodle Stir Fry
-
- Mushroom Ravioli Sauce
-
- Pepper Steak
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Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Creamy Herb Pasta
Ingredients
Seasonings
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon parsley
Pasta
- ½ lb. linguine
- ½ cup dry white wine, or chicken broth. See notes.
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- lemon pepper seasoning, optional. See notes
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 ¼ cups half and half, (half cream half milk)
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated from a block
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
To Garnish
- Fresh Parsley
- Fresh Lemon
Instructions
- Prep Work: Combine the half and half, chicken broth, and seasonings in a large measuring cup with a spout and set aside. Measure out additional ingredients and begin boiling a pot of water for the pasta.
- Add the white wine, butter, and garlic to a large skillet and bring it to a gentle bubble. Let it reduce by half, about 4 minutes. (Pro Tip: Add a pinch of high-quality lemon pepper seasoning to the skillet for even more flavor. See notes.)
- Stir in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring continuously.
- Add half and half mixture in small splashes, stirring continuously. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat to low, and cover it partially.
- Boil the pasta to al dente according to package instructions. Salt the pasta water well to ensure that the pasta itself has plenty of flavor. I use 2 tbsp. kosher salt. Drain once cooked.
- Slowly stir the grated cheese into the sauce over low heat.
- Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Add the pasta and toss to combine. Taste and season with salt/freshly cracked pepper if desired. Serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
- Wine: Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio are my favorite wines for this recipe. It adds next-level flavor to this sauce but chicken broth can be used if you don't cook with wine.
- Pasta: I use linguine for this recipe but penne and fettuccine make great options as well.
- Grate the cheese from a wedge, it will melt and taste much better than packaged grated cheese.
- Use freshly squeezed lemon juice if possible, as the flavor is better than bottled lemon juice.
- Make sure the heat is off when you add the lemon juice at the end. Add it slowly and stir in continuously to ensure it doesn't cause the cream to curdle.
- I like to crack a little of this lemon pepper seasoning into the butter/garlic/wine while it reduces for a little extra flavor!
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving. There are 4 servings in this recipe.
There’s no tips as to how long to simmer the sauce before adding cheese and I think I could have thickened it a little more but I still liked it! Sauce was a little runny and the flavor was slightly diluted because it wasn’t reduced enough. Maybe you could add a time range or something to help others get the right consistency?
Hey Claire! The recipe indicates that the sauce is to simmer while the pasta boils, so that means it’ll simmer for about 8-10 minutes. My sauce is usually quite thick when I make this, I would say you can simmer the sauce without the lid next time, that’ll yield thicker results. And just be sure not to cook the pasta until indicated so that the sauce can simmer while it cooks 🙂
Delicious! Thank you for this recipe – it’s a keeper.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it Amanda!! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it! 🙂 -Stephanie
I loved the freshness of this pasta. I substituted coconut mild & added sautéed asparagus. It was a great side but I can see adding chicken to it and making it a one dish meal.
I’m so happy you liked it Laurie! Chicken is a great addition. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review❤️
Delicious!
I’m so happy you liked it! Thank you!🩷
Made this with your chicken piccata recipe and it turned out amazing! I substituted the wine for chicken broth and it still came out delicious. Will try it next time with the wine.
Thanks!
Nice work Rhiannon, I’m so happy it was such a success! Thanks so much for the great review!🩷
Has anyone tried this sauce drizzled on pizza with a garlic olive base instead of marinara sauce? Thanks!
Hi Sue! Not that I know of, but it sounds really good! ☺️