In this Creamy Garlic Pasta recipe, a simple box of noodles is turned into a creamy and rich dish that the whole family will love.
This entrée is a no-fuss, no-muss, one-pot pasta entrée. Butter, whipping cream, parmesan, and garlic are all it takes to bring this pasta dish to life!
One Pot Creamy Garlic Pasta
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Best Creamy Pasta Dish
- A homemade white, creamy sauce is a superb and simple alternative to the standard marinara and meatball sauce that usually accompanies noodles.
- The best thing, about this recipe, is that it is quick to make and only requires one pot for both the noodles and the sauce.
- A white sauce is always so rich and creamy. All it needs is some heavy whipping cream and cheesy parmesan. Add a little sautéed garlic and a sprinkle of parsley on top to make this tasty dish come together.
- Serve it as a main dish with pizza dough breadsticks or turn it into a delicious base and add some shrimp from this shrimp boil foil packets recipe. However it is served, it is sure to be a hit, especially the leftovers!
Ingredients & Variations
PASTA Generally, the heavier the sauce, the heavier the pasta. For this recipe, the sauce is light and flavorful, and that is why thin and delicate angel hair pasta is chosen.
It is the best choice because it will allow the sauce to flow evenly around the pasta. Fettucine also works well with creamy sauces like this or in an alfredo.
SAUCE Chicken broth (homemade or store-bought), some grated parmesan cheese, and heavy whipping cream are the base of this sauce.
For the cream do not purchase the whipped topping for desserts. The cream called for this recipe is heavy whipping cream.
VARIATIONS Add a little crumbled bacon, shrimp, prawns, scallops, salmon, or cooked shredded chicken, to this recipe for added flavor.
Any kind of vegetables like broccoli florets, mushrooms, chopped bell peppers, chopped kale, or spinach are great add-ins. A teaspoon of lemon juice would also add a little zest to this dish.
How to Make Creamy Garlic Pasta
It is so easy to love a good pasta dish. This recipe is so simple to make and only requires one pot!
- Cook garlic in butter in a large pot.
- Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.
- Add pasta and cook (per the recipe below).
- Remove from heat, add remaining ingredients, stirring constantly until the cheese is fully melted.
Serve with a slice of cheesy breadsticks or a piece of garlic bread to soak up every last drop of that creamy sauce!
Favorite Shortcut Tips
This dish is a relatively easy and quick one to make and does not require much time. To have it ready and warm to serve, simply make the noodles as per the directions in the recipe, then refrigerate.
When it is time to serve, heat up the noodles with a little extra broth or water (not too much liquid, but just enough so they don’t burn. Then add the cream, and the cheese. Serve.
Save some cheese for garnish and don’t forget the fresh parsley! Not only is this herb visually pleasing, but it also adds to the flavor. Serve directly from the pot!
Other Delicious Creamy Recipes!
- Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Casserole – Dinner in under an hour
- Creamy Tuscan Chicken – Tasty, creamy main dish!
- Creamy Garlic Chicken Marsala – made with cream and garlic
- Creamy One Pot Pasta recipe! – One-Pot, need I say more?
One Pot Creamy Garlic Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound angel hair pasta
- 3 14.5 ounce cans chicken broth
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream not to be confused with whipped topping for desserts
- ½ cup parmesan grated
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- parsley chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat.
- When butter is melted, add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add chicken broth to the pot and bring to a boil.
- Once chicken broth is boiling, add angel hair pasta.
- Cook pasta until done then lower heat and let simmer until most of the broth has evaporated.
- Turn heat off and add whipping cream and parmesan cheese.
- Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.
Nutrition
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Recipe inspired by The Cheese Pusher
Renee Tee says
Stumbled upon this recipe looking for something to do with heavy cream that needed to be used. It was delicious, with very little effort. Could definitely be a weeknight meal, and could also be adapted to use small amounts of leftover protein or vegetables. I used vermicelli instead of angel hair, which had an 8 minute cooking time in a large deep skillet vs. a pot. I significantly increased the garlic, and garnished with fresh chives and fresh cracked black pepper, because that’s what I had on hand. We cleaned our plates, and will definitely be making again. A keeper! And LOVE that it’s a one-pot wonder!
The Shortcut Kitchen SN says
So happy you loved this recipe, Renee!
Paul says
I added 2 tablespoons of garlic one and a 1/2 cups of cheese
It is very good I give it 8 stars
CentsLess Meals C says
So glad you loved it! More cheese sounds delish Paul!
Peyton says
How many does it serve?
Centsless Meals SN says
As a main dish, it serves about 4 people Peyton.
Nicole says
WOW!! This was fantastic!! I had doubts about it with the whipping cream but holy smokes. Will make again!
Centsless Meals SN says
Yay! That is great to hear Nicole!
Candace @ Our Zesty Life says
Made this for dinner last night and it was a huge hit for all of us! Easy and so flavorful. Loved it and we will make it again for sure!
Regin Hilgart says
Love this recipe! It is a favorite at my house. I add cream cheese to it sometimes to create a richer sauce. Pair it with Lemon chicken, your family will beg you to make it all the time! 😉
Sarah says
Would it still be good without the cheese?
Deanna Mott says
Made this tonight, my super picky 12year old loved it. I made it exactly as outlook Ned, next time I may add more garlic, couldn’t really taste it much. This would also be great with some chicken tossed in.
Super yummy, easy recipe. Will be making this again soon! Thanks for sharing.
Aly says
This looks yummy! I would like to make this, however I have never used canned chicken broth,. Is it concentrated chicken broth (that you would have to mix with water) or normal chicken broth? Thank you!
laura dunn says
Help! This is o e of my favorite recipes but can’t see the directions and ingredients. Could you please send it to me?
Lori says
added about 2 T of garlic, used about 30 oz of sodium free chicken broth in the box. (My biggest pan could not hold 3 14.5 oz cans). and used less pasta. SOOOO good. I made chicken and mushrooms in another pan and added after the parm and cream. Delicious. Thank you
Michele says
I have made this quite a few times! I do add more garlic, use fat free half and half and add shrimp.
Amanda says
I add chicken and bacon to it for some protein.. Awesome!!!
Amanda says
This is mouth watering!! My husband loves it!!
Tammy says
Sounds really good! Though with only 1 tsp of garlic in it, not sure why it has garlic in the name. Think I’ll add more garlic (maybe fresh minced) and maybe some red pepper flakes. 🙂
Alma Andrews says
I added more garlic and red pepper flakes. Yum yum. Thanks.
RoseAnne says
To reduce the sodium, use either low sodium or no sodium chicken broth and try seasonings which do not have salt in them or a salt substitute.
Cyndi says
Can you substitute something for the heavy cream?
Candice says
My daughter made this for dinner tonight and added broccoli and grilled chicken. Delicious!
Felicia says
So easy – trying this one during the weekend! Thanks!
tanya says
Delicious! Added mushrooms. Next time I will also add bacon.
Hlk says
How would it be if you added chicken ?
JW says
This was great! So easy too. I left out some of the whipping cream because after pouring 1/2 of it in, it seemed like enough.
Next time I will try some grilled chicken with it!
Ryan says
I made this last night.. It was GREAT. I used Rigatoni. I added Pepper, Red Pepper Flakes and some italian Seasoning, it was Amazing. This will become a twice a month recipe for me now..
Lynn says
I made this tonight. My family LOVED it!!! Thanks for the recipe!!
Kim S says
Do you have the carb and sodium count on this recipe?
I need a kidney friendly version if there is one.
Thanks.
It looks amazingly yummy by the way!!
LeAnn @ Real Fit, Real Food Mom says
This looks awesome! Can’t wait to try soon!
crystal ca says
LOVE THIS ONE!