One Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta

 

This One Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta is creamy, slightly cheesy, and so darn good. Angel hair pasta is cooked in a mixture of chicken broth and milk until the pasta is perfectly aldente and swimming in a creamy sauce. It’s laced with the perfect amount of parmesan, a tiny bit of butter and plenty of fresh parsley. Perfect to serve as a side or alongside chicken or shrimp for a full meal. 

 

One Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta

It’s the simple things in life that give me the most excitement.

Having all of our snacks in immaculate order in the pantry. Finding a five dollar bill in my coat pocket. Waking up before my kiddo’s internal alarm clock goes off. Sipping a latte and eating the most perfect piece of avocado toast in silence. 

When it comes to food, one pot garlic parmesan pasta is one of those simple things that just makes me so, so happy. 

This stuff is criminally simple, bu oh-so delicious. It’s basically like a homemade pasta roni, which happens to be one of my greatest guilty pleasures. Which now doesn’t have to be a guilty pleasure, because we’re making it from scratch. And it tastes identical, without all the added preservatives and sodium. Score. 

It’s creamy, slightly cheesy, with the perfect hint of butteriness. It’s basically a simpler, less cheesy version of our favorite chicken spaghetti and we can’t get enough of it. 

We like to serve it as a side with Spinach and Feta Stuffed Chicken, French Onion Chicken, or this Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken, but you could also serve it beneath a crispy filet of salmon, intertwined with roasted shrimp, or alongside a big green salad for a full meal. 

Ingredients in One Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta

Chicken broth. I like to use chicken broth over chicken stock here for a more mild flavor. Try to buy low-sodium chicken broth so you can control the amount of salt in the garlic parmesan pasta. 

Milk. Any kind of milk will do. I used 2% milk, but whole milk or skim will also work. 

Pasta. For this particular garlic parmesan pasta, I’d highly recommend using angel hair pasta. It cooks quickly and, as written, soaks up the perfect amount of chicken broth and milk  to achieve a perfectly creamy consistency. 

Garlic. Two medium cloves of garlic, grated. I like to grate the garlic so it’s evenly dispersed in the garlic parmesan pasta. Also, because the cook time is short, grating the garlic helps to cook out the raw garlic flavor.

Parmesan cheese. I don’t want this garlic parmesan pasta to taste like an Alfredo sauce, so a little bit of parmesan goes a long way. All I want is just a HINT of cheese and a salty, nutty bite. 

Butter. All you need is just a touch of butter, one tablespoon. It gives the garlic parmesan pasta a velvety, creamy finish I adore. You can use salted or unsalted butter. 

Parsley. For a little freshness, I like to add a handful of finely chopped parsley. If parsley isn’t your thing, feel free to omit it. 

Salt and pepper. As always, salt and pepper don’t count as ingredient, but in a simple recipe like garlic parmesan pasta, you really want to season it properly. 

How to make One Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta

Ok guys, this does not get any simpler. Here’s what you have to do: 

Cook the noodles. Add the chicken broth, milk, and salt to a medium saucepan. Bring it up to a boil. Break the angel hair in half and add it to the boiling liquid. Use tongs to evenly disperse the noodles in the broth and milk. Boil for one minute. Reduce the heat to a simmer.

Simmer the noodles until aldente, about 7-8 minutes. Use the tongs to make sure the noodles aren’t sticking together and give it a stir. You want to do this every 2 minutes or so. 

Add the rest of the ingredients. Once the noodles are aldente and most of the liquid as been soaked up by the noodles, add the parmesan cheese, butter, and parsley. Use the tongs to combine. If needed, add a little bit more chicken stock to loosen up the sauce. Season with salt and pepper. 

It’s that easy. And I can’t echo this enough, it’s SO delicious. So simple, but just so addictive. 

Does this reheat well?

Yes! I gave this to the kids throughout the week for lunch and dinner. I put it in a microwave-safe bowl, covered it with a wet paper towel and microwaved it in 25-second increments until it was hot. 

Can I use whole-wheat pasta? 

This garlic parmesan pasta is pretty healthy, but if you want to make it even healthier, you could probably sub out whole-wheat angel hair. I haven’t tried it myself, but I imagine it would work just fine. Because whole-wheat noodles tend to take a little bit longer to cook, you may have to add a little bit more chicken stock or milk to achieve a creamy sauce. 

Substitutions and Tips and Tricks for Recipe Success

• Be sure to bread the angel hair noodles in half. If you leave them whole, it can turn into a tangled mess in the small pot. 
• Use low-sodium chicken broth so you can control the amount of salt that goes into the garlic parmesan pasta. 
• Add in a little bit of roasted garlic paste, for a roasted garlic pasta. 
• Other add-ins that would be delicious: sun-dried tomatoes for a sun-dried tomato pasta spin, roasted mushrooms, frozen broccoli, frozen peas. 
• If the angel hair soaks up the pasta too fast, just add in a few splashes of chicken stock to loosen the sauce up. 
• Be sure to season with salt and pepper at the end. 

Other easy pasta dishes

• This Five-Ingredient Creamy Tomato Pasta is such a bit hit in our family. Penne noodles are bathed in a super easy tomato cream sauce, and served with just a touch of parmesan cheese. 
• Spaghetti Carbonara for Two is a classic, and the perfect way to throw dinner together on a whim. 
• If you’re feeling something citrusy, this 5-Ingredient Pasta Limone is perfect for you!