How to make the a quick and easy, One Pot Creamy Garlic Butter Pasta with Spinach.
Those days where I-simply-cannot, I turn to one pot pasta recipes for a quick and fulfilling meal! This One Pot Creamy Garlic Butter Pasta with a handful of spinach is one of my easy recipes.
If you’re here a lot, then you KNOW how much one-pot pastas are my go-tos When you’re done with the day, you just want to be able to prepare a quick meal, with easy cleanup, I’ve got you with this one-pot recipe.
How to make One Pot Creamy Garlic Butter Pasta
1. Make the Garlic Butter Infusion First
Melt butter with garlic over low heat until fragrant.
2. Add Dry Pastas and Liquid
Add pasta to the garlic butter, and water and milk. Add just enough to cover or almost cover the pasta. Add salt to season and allow this to come to a boil. Return to stir evenly.
3. Cook Pasta to Al Dente
The general rule is to simply follow the cook times on the pasta packets. My egg pappardelle pasta is suppose to cook to al dente in 7-8 minutes.
At this stage, you would typically drain the pasta. Since we cooked the pasta in cold liquid, it should not be fully al dente, this is fine.
4. Stir in Spinach
If using spinach, add immediately and continuously stir until spinach wilts.
5. Add Cheese and the Rest of the Ingredients
Turn off heat and immediately add cheeses and the rest of the ingredients. Continuously stir to melt the cheese and let the sauce continue to thicken. Done!
Why you will love this One Pot Creamy Garlic Butter Pasta?
- If you love garlic, you will love the rich, creamy, garlicky flavours!
- It’s so satisfying! This is a creamy pot of pasta, and very fulfilling.
- It’s Quick and Easy! There’s barely any prep – mince your garlic, wash your spinach and parsley, and that’s it. You can get this served in just 15 minutes.
- Less Dishes to Wash! You need just one pot to cook your pasta. No need for a separate pot to cook your pasta, and fussy colanders to deal with. You just need one pot to cook your pasta. Bonus – serve your pasta in the pot!
The Type of Cheese to Use
I used a combination of parmesan and shredded cheddar because that is what I have. Feel free to use whatever easy melting cheese of choice you like; typically I just use parmesan.
Why is my One-Pot Pasta So Liquid?
When your pasta is already al dente, you might stir it and find that “hey, this is watery and not creamy at all!” Don’t panic! Continue to stir and continue on with the recipe. As you continue to add the cheeses, and stirring the pasta, it will continue to release starch which will thicken the liquid. Even after you turn off the heat, continue to stir and it will thicken even more as it cools.
This is important – turn off the heat once your pasta is cooked to your liking! Do not overcook the pasta, as not only is this a mushy bite, but your pasta sauce will likely turn a gloopy, starchy mess!
If you find that you’re still ending up with soup, quite simply, you’ve added too much liquid! It is crucial that you add just enough liquid to barely cover the pasta. If the pasta is not totally submerged, this is perfectly fine! as the pasta softens and cooks, it will eventually submerge in the liquid as you stir it in.
More Recipes Like This
If you love this recipe, you might love these too:
One Pot Creamy Garlic Butter Spinach Pasta
Course: Recipes4
servings5
minutes10
minutesIngredients
4 servings of Pappardelle or Pasta of Choice
2 tbsps Butter
2-3 cloves Garlic, minced
2 cups Stock or Water
2 cups Milk
1 tsp Salt, or to taste
150g or 2-3 loose cups of Spinach
1 cup Parmesan
1 cup of shredded Cheddar (or your favourite cheese)
Black Pepper, or to taste
1 tsp Chilli Flakes, optional
2 tbsps Parsley
Directions
- Melt butter and garlic in a pan over low heat. Let the garlic infuse the butter until fragrant, or when the butter completely melts and starts to bubble.
- Add dry pasta, stock, milk and salt. Stir to combine, and let this come to boil.
- Let pasta cook to al dente, 7-8 minutes if using pappardelle, or follow the timing on the pasta packet. Occasionally stir to evenly distribute pasta.
- Add spinach, and stir to incorporate with the pasta until spinach wilts. Turn off the heat.
- Immediately add parmesan, shredded cheddar, black pepper, chilli flakes and parsley. Stir until cheese melts into the sauce. Serve immediately!
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