Creamy Garlic Pasta — 520 Calories, 20 Minutes (Vegetarian, Quick & Easy)
April 20, 2026 · Plateful of Joy · 14 min read
Home › Recipes › Healthy Eating › Creamy Garlic Pasta
VegetarianCreamy Garlic Pasta
Rich, velvety garlic cream sauce coating al dente pasta — made lighter with a clever trick that uses pasta water instead of heavy cream. Restaurant quality in 20 minutes, one pan, no fuss.
🥗 Nutrition per serving
🛒 Ingredients
- 400g (14oz) spaghetti or linguine
- 8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 100ml (½ cup) light cream or half-and-half
- 80g (¾ cup) Parmesan, finely grated
- 1 cup reserved pasta cooking water
- ½ tsp chilli flakes (optional)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley, chopped — to garnish
👩🍳 Instructions
Cook pasta in a large pot of well-salted boiling water until al dente (1 minute less than packet says). Before draining, scoop out 1 cup of starchy pasta water — this is your secret sauce ingredient. Drain pasta.
While pasta cooks, heat olive oil and butter in a large wide pan over medium-low heat. Add sliced garlic and chilli flakes. Cook very gently 4–5 minutes until garlic is soft and golden — not brown. Low and slow is key here.
Add cream to the garlic oil. Stir and let it bubble gently for 1 minute. Add half the reserved pasta water. Stir to combine.
Add drained pasta directly into the sauce. Toss vigorously over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add Parmesan in batches, tossing constantly. Add more pasta water a splash at a time until sauce coats every strand and looks glossy and silky.
Season generously with black pepper and salt. Plate immediately and top with extra Parmesan and fresh parsley. Serve with crusty bread to mop up the sauce.
💡 The pasta water trick: The starchy cooking water is what makes the sauce creamy and silky without loads of cream. Never skip saving it — it’s the difference between a sticky clumpy sauce and a restaurant-quality glossy one. Add it slowly until you get the right consistency.
Want to calculate your exact macros for this pasta?
Plug your exact quantities into our free Recipe Calculator and get a precise calorie and macro breakdown.
Try the Recipe Calculator →🛍 Shop What You Need
*As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Want a Free 7-Day Meal Plan? 🍝
Get 7 easy dinner recipes under 550 calories — including this pasta and 6 more — delivered straight to your inbox!
🔒 No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.