Garlic Butter Linguine (Printable)

Silky garlic butter coats linguine with fresh parsley for an easy, vibrant Italian-inspired dish.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 14 oz linguine

→ Sauce

02 - 6 tbsp unsalted butter
03 - 6 large garlic cloves, finely minced
04 - 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
05 - Zest of 1 lemon (optional)
06 - 1/2 tsp sea salt
07 - 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

→ Finishing

08 - 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
09 - 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
10 - Extra lemon wedges, to serve

# How-To Steps:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add linguine and cook until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain the pasta.
02 - Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant but not browned. Stir in crushed red pepper flakes and lemon zest if using.
03 - Add drained linguine to the skillet and toss to coat with the garlic butter. Gradually add reserved pasta water to achieve a smooth sauce that evenly coats the pasta.
04 - Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir in chopped parsley and half of the Parmesan if using. Toss thoroughly to incorporate all ingredients.
05 - Plate immediately and garnish with the remaining Parmesan cheese and additional lemon wedges on the side.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Ready in twenty minutes, which means you can actually relax before people show up instead of panicking in the kitchen.
  • Uses ingredients most people already have, so there's no excuse to order takeout on a random weeknight.
  • Tastes like you spent hours simmering and stirring, but honestly you just stood there watching butter do the work.
02 -
  • Overcooked garlic tastes acrid and wrong—it's the difference between a dish that sings and one that whispers an apology, so watch it like you're babysitting someone's precious thing.
  • That pasta water you reserved isn't just water, it's starch-filled magic that turns a gloss of butter into an actual sauce that clings to the pasta instead of sliding off.
  • Timing is everything—this needs to go from pan to plate in about a minute, because pasta stops being al dente and starts being soft the moment you're not paying attention.
03 -
  • Use a warm plate and serve immediately—this dish cools down faster than you'd expect and loses something precious the moment the heat stops radiating from the food.
  • Freshly grated Parmesan melts slightly from the heat of the pasta and tastes a thousand times better than anything pre-grated, which I realize sounds like food snobbery until you taste the difference.
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