15-Minute Garlic Parmesan Pasta (Printable)

Silky garlic-Parmesan ditalini pasta ready in 15 mins, creamy and perfect for quick meals.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 10.5 oz ditalini pasta
02 - 6.3 cups water
03 - 1 tsp salt

→ Sauce

04 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter
05 - 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
06 - 3/4 cup heavy cream
07 - 3.4 fl oz whole milk
08 - 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
09 - 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

→ Cheese & Finish

10 - 2.8 oz finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
11 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (optional)

# How to make it:

01 - Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add salt and ditalini pasta. Cook until al dente, stirring occasionally. Reserve 1/3 cup pasta water, then drain pasta.
02 - In the same pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant but not browned.
03 - Pour in heavy cream and whole milk. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle simmer.
04 - Add cooked pasta back to the pot. Stir thoroughly to coat pasta in the sauce.
05 - Gradually stir in grated Parmesan cheese until fully melted and sauce is creamy. Add reserved pasta water gradually if sauce is too thick.
06 - Season with black pepper and red pepper flakes if using. Serve immediately topped with additional Parmesan and chopped parsley.

# Recipe Expert Tips:

01 -
  • Dinner is genuinely ready in fifteen minutes, no shortcuts or exaggeration involved.
  • The sauce is silky and comforting without any fancy techniques or weird ingredient substitutes.
  • Tastes restaurant-quality but costs a fraction of what you'd pay, and uses things you probably have already.
02 -
  • Reserve that pasta water before draining, it's liquid gold for adjusting your sauce consistency instead of adding more cream.
  • Don't let the garlic brown or it turns bitter and ruins the whole thing, medium heat and constant attention for those two minutes changes everything.
  • Grate your Parmesan fresh if possible, or at least buy the chunk and grate it yourself because pre-grated has anti-caking agents that make the sauce grainy instead of smooth.
03 -
  • If you're worried about the sauce, remember that pasta water is your friend and can fix almost anything that's too thick or too thin.
  • Use the best Parmesan you can afford because it's the main seasoning, and there's a real difference between decent and mediocre when that's all you have.
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