Creamy Pasta Dish (Printer-friendly)

Velvety pasta with creamy sauce, garlic, and Parmesan for a comforting dinner option.

# What you'll need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz penne or fettuccine
02 - Salt, for boiling water

→ Sauce

03 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter
04 - 2 tbsp olive oil
05 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 cup heavy cream
07 - 1/2 cup whole milk
08 - 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
09 - 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
10 - 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, optional
11 - 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

→ Garnish

12 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
13 - Extra grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

# Method:

01 - 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 water before draining.
02 - Melt butter and olive oil together in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant without browning.
03 - Pour in heavy cream and milk, stirring to combine. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
04 - Reduce heat and add grated Parmesan cheese, stirring until fully melted and sauce is smooth. Season with salt, black pepper, and nutmeg if using.
05 - Add drained pasta to the skillet and toss to coat evenly with sauce. Adjust consistency by adding reserved pasta water gradually as needed.
06 - Plate immediately, garnishing with chopped parsley and extra grated Parmesan cheese.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It's ready in 30 minutes but tastes like you've been slaving away all evening.
  • The sauce is silky and rich without being heavy or pretentious.
  • You probably have most of these ingredients sitting in your kitchen right now.
02 -
  • Never add cold cream straight from the fridge to the hot butter and oil—it can separate and look broken; warm it slightly or add it slowly while stirring.
  • The moment you add pasta to the sauce, it continues cooking and will absorb liquid, so if your sauce seems slightly too thin, that's actually perfect.
  • If something does go wrong and your sauce breaks or gets grainy, a splash of cold milk whisked in off the heat can sometimes save it.
03 -
  • Reserve your pasta water before you drain anything—it's liquid gold for adjusting sauce consistency, and you can't get it back once it's gone.
  • Add pasta to sauce, not sauce to pasta; the starch on the pasta helps emulsify everything together into something silky.

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