One-Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta (a.k.a. the Lazy Cook's Fettuccine Alfredo)

Author Notes: No need to make a separate sauce for your pasta: In this recipe, from the blog Damn Delicious (yep, that's right), dry pasta is boiled in a mixture of milk and broth. Because the pasta releases its starches as the liquids reduce and concentrate, you end up with a creamy, flavorful coating. Experiment with adding red pepper flakes, tomato paste, or chopped herbs (basil!) when you add the garlic. —Sarah Jampel
Serves 4
-
1
tablespoon olive oil
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4
cloves garlic, minced
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2
cups vegetable broth (or chicken stock)
-
1
cup milk (more as needed)
-
2
tablespoons unsalted butter
-
8
ounces fettuccine or other long noodle
-
Salt and pepper, to taste
-
1/4
cup freshly grated Parmesan
-
Chopped parsley, for garnishing
- In a large, wide skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Stir in the broth, milk, butter, and dry pasta. Season with salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is cooked through, 15 to 18 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan and add additional milk if the sauce is too thick.
- Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
More Great Recipes:
Pasta|Entree|One-Pot Wonders|Vegetarian|Weeknight Cooking
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2 months ago LULULAND
Love this recipe, thanks so much. Very unique! My hubbie cracked two large crabs, and when the pasta was done, I added the crab and asiago cheese. This way the crab heated up a little, and it blended well! A winner!!!
2 months ago ghainskom
Weeknight life saver. Will add bacon next time.
7 months ago FrugalCat
I hate twirling pasta. Would this work with rotini or penne? I only ask because it specifies long pasta in the ingredients list.
7 months ago Starmade
works with anything
8 months ago Yvette
Made this tonight and it turned out perfectly - it was quick, easy and super tasty.
8 months ago Jennifer St Clair
I've made this with added shrimp, tuna, and chicken. (Not at the same time! 😃)
9 months ago Megan F.
This was very easy and turned out perfectly! I doubled the noodles and liquid and it was fantastic. I also added green onions and bacon for sort of a carbonara-esque touch. I was so pleased with the texture of the pasta, which I have never made this way. Leftovers tasted even better the next day, as most pasta dishes do in my opinion. All in all a great recipe that can be customized easily.
11 months ago Elle Tee
Agree that this isn't four servings, unless as a side. 8 ounces of pasta = 226 grams. A serving of pasta is 85 grams, therefore this is a little more than 2.5 servings (or, in terms of portion sizes most people actually eat for pasta as a main course, it is really about 2 servings!) :-)
But either way it's very yummy. Great technique!
about 1 year ago Steve Haight
Made this tonight for a quick addition to a rottiserie chicken. So good and easy.
over 1 year ago Bill G
Definitely easy and lazy but very very delicious. Suggestion: If using regular chicken broth with regular butter and parmesan, these ingredients have enough salt where no additional salt is needed.
over 1 year ago schmoopster
So good and so easy. Added roast chicken and broccoli for more protein and veg. Perfect.
over 1 year ago D. M. Purnell
Covered or uncovered ???
over 1 year ago Sarah Jampel
Sarah is Food52's senior staff writer & stylist.
Uncovered!
over 1 year ago maris olsen
This is a definite winner. Tasty, fast to cook, and super easy cleanup. This is going into my regular recipe rotation!
over 1 year ago Julia
Wonderful! To add to the discussion of serving sizes, I would say it makes about 3. I sauteed a finely diced shallot before adding the garlic, and tossed in some chopped kale half way through the cook time. I added a bit more milk and covered the pot on and off to cook the pasta before the sauce thickened too much.
over 1 year ago Freddurf
Wow! What a surprise hit. This was so easy and had more flavor than I expected. Although, I have to question the amount of servings listed. I doubled the recipe And it served 4. Great recipe. Thank you!
over 1 year ago Barbara Orr-Dye
Just made this with non fat milk. Delicious!
over 1 year ago maria
Just tried this in my brand new cast iron pot, roasting the garlic sloowwwly at the beginning, and it was the best meal I have cooked in months :)
almost 2 years ago ChefJune
June is a trusted source on General Cooking.
This looks really good to me. But fwiw, there is no "separate sauce" in Fettuccine Alfredo. That's a totally American invention. It was meant to sauce the pasta on itself.
almost 2 years ago CaffeineSpasms
Eight ounces used and it serves four, so two ounces of pasta per serving? I admire anyone who has that sort of restraint when it comes to a recipe like this!
almost 2 years ago ChefJune
June is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Well, if you serve the pasta as a first course, two ounces is enough.And actually, two ounces of dried pasta, once cooked, is quite a bit.
almost 2 years ago CaffeineSpasms
Oh certainly. However, it looks good enough to eat for a date night in between only two rather than four.
7 months ago Pauls22401
What about timing when using fresh pasta?
3 months ago Anne
Pauls22401: I think fresh pasta cooks too fast for the chemistry to work properly in this recipe.
Showing 24 out of 24 comments