15-Minute Garlic Parmesan Pasta (Print Version)

Silky garlic-Parmesan sauce tossed with tender ditalini pasta for a comforting Italian meal in 15 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 10.5 oz ditalini pasta
02 - 6 1/4 cups water
03 - 1 teaspoon salt

→ Sauce

04 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
05 - 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
06 - 6.8 fl oz heavy cream
07 - 3.4 fl oz whole milk
08 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
09 - 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

→ Cheese & Finish

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

# How To Make:

01 - Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add salt and ditalini pasta. Cook until al dente, stirring occasionally. Reserve 3.4 fl oz of pasta water, then drain the pasta.
02 - In the same pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté for 1–2 minutes until fragrant but not browned.
03 - Pour in heavy cream and whole milk. Stir to combine, then bring to a gentle simmer.
04 - Add cooked ditalini back to the pot. Stir to coat pasta evenly with the sauce.
05 - Gradually add grated Parmesan, stirring constantly until fully melted and sauce is creamy. If sauce is too thick, add reserved pasta water incrementally to adjust consistency.
06 - Season with black pepper and red pepper flakes if desired.
07 - Serve immediately topped with extra Parmesan and chopped parsley.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • Everything happens in one pot, so cleanup is just a quick rinse and youre done.
  • The sauce clings to every little tube of pasta, giving you creamy bites from start to finish.
  • It tastes like you spent an hour in the kitchen, but youll be eating in fifteen minutes.
  • You probably already have most of these ingredients sitting around.
02 -
  • Always reserve pasta water before draining, its liquid gold for adjusting sauce consistency and it has just enough starch to help everything cling together.
  • Add the Parmesan off the heat or on very low heat, high heat can make it seize up and turn grainy instead of melting into silk.
  • Dont rinse the pasta after draining, that starch on the surface is what helps the sauce grab on.
03 -
  • Grate your Parmesan on the finest side of the grater so it melts faster and more evenly into the sauce.
  • Taste the pasta water before you drain it, if its well salted, youll know your pasta is properly seasoned from the start.
  • Keep the heat medium or lower once the cream goes in, boiling it hard can cause the sauce to split and get oily.
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