Roasted Garlic Cream Pasta (Printer Version)

Silky pasta tossed in roasted garlic cream sauce with Parmesan. Comfort food at its finest in just 55 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Roasted Garlic

01 - 2 whole garlic bulbs
02 - 2 teaspoons olive oil

→ Pasta

03 - 12 ounces fettuccine or spaghetti
04 - Salt for pasta water

→ Cream Sauce

05 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
06 - 1 small shallot, finely chopped
07 - 1 cup heavy cream
08 - 1/4 cup whole milk
09 - 2 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese
10 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
11 - 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
12 - Pinch of nutmeg, optional

→ Garnish

13 - Extra Parmesan cheese for serving
14 - Chopped fresh parsley, optional

# How to Prepare:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Slice the tops off garlic bulbs to expose cloves, drizzle with olive oil, wrap in foil, and roast for 35-40 minutes until soft and golden. Allow to cool, then squeeze out roasted garlic cloves.
02 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain.
03 - Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and sauté until softened, approximately 2 minutes.
04 - Mash roasted garlic into a paste and add to skillet, stirring for 1 minute until fragrant.
05 - Pour cream and milk into skillet, whisking to combine. Bring to gentle simmer and cook for 3-4 minutes until slightly thickened.
06 - Stir in Parmesan, salt, pepper, and nutmeg if using. Simmer gently until cheese melts and sauce achieves velvety consistency.
07 - Add drained pasta to sauce, tossing to coat evenly. Add reserved pasta water in small amounts until sauce reaches desired consistency.
08 - Transfer to serving bowls immediately. Garnish with extra Parmesan and fresh parsley if desired.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The roasted garlic transforms into a sweet, spreadable paste that makes the sauce taste like it simmered for hours.
  • It comes together with pantry staples but tastes fancy enough to serve when someone special is coming over.
  • Leftovers reheat beautifully with just a splash of milk to bring the sauce back to life.
02 -
  • Don't skip reserving the pasta water, because that starchy liquid is the secret to making the sauce cling perfectly without breaking.
  • Roasting the garlic low and slow is worth the wait, because rushing it at higher heat will leave the cloves bitter instead of sweet.
03 -
  • Roast extra garlic bulbs and keep the cloves in olive oil in the fridge, they're perfect for spreading on toast or stirring into soups.
  • Use a pasta shape with ridges or wide surfaces if you want the sauce to cling even more, but honestly, anything works as long as you save that pasta water.
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