Spaghetti with Garlic Butter and Cheese

The simplicity of Spaghetti with Garlic Butter and Cheese will make this your go to meal when hunger is at its peak and time is not. This is a dish that uses a handful of ingredients and takes 15 minutes to prepare.

Spaghetti with garlic butter and cheese doesn’t require a recipe. It’s the method used that produces a creamy delicious sauce that's similar to the famous cacio e pepe. Here’s another shocker, if you don’t want to go through the trouble of mincing or grating garlic, you can use garlic powder.

My brother laughs at some of my posts stating that people search for these types of recipes. But, guess what? Some do! I can’t tell you how many times people ask how to cook this or that. So this is for all of you college students, novice cooks, or kids who want to help the family out when life gets busy. This was one of the first dishes I learned to cook as a kid which tells you it's very simple.

All you need is spaghetti, butter, grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, garlic, and salt and pepper. As I've mentioned in my other posts that have garlic powder as an ingredient, I use only granulated garlic powder and not the superfine powdery stuff. There is no shame in using [easyazon_link identifier="B001PQMJIY" locale="US" tag="thegeneticche-20"]granulated garlic powder[/easyazon_link] because it gives great flavor. If you want to take this to the next level, use minced garlic cloves. What's the most important ingredient? Pasta water.

Freshly grate your cheese to achieve the best flavor. If you purchase cheese in a can, it may be tasteless and not deliver the flavor required for this dish. You don’t know how long it’s been sitting on the shelf. I freshly grate and store it in my fridge. I use it so frequently, it doesn’t lose its flavor.

Freshly ground pepper is preferred here but I don't judge. Grinding the pepper releases the pepper’s potent flavor and is worth the few seconds it takes to grind.

You may think this is an Italian dish, but this is a commonly served meal in Peru. My Grandmother would prepare this after working hard all day. This is a dish where Peru meets Italy. I am half Peruvian and half Italian so it fits.

Next time you're tired, hungry, and think you have no time to make a homemade meal, make spaghetti with garlic butter and cheese. Enjoy it for what it is - buttery, garlicky, salty, peppery goodness. Another KISS recipe from me to you.

Serve with your favorite green veggie or better yet, grab some baby spinach or arugula into a bowl and toss with my orange vinaigrette. Now you have a great meal prepared in under 15 minutes!

Check out my post on how to cook pasta for proper cooking and seasoning instructions.

Enjoy, mangia,¡al ataque! (attack!)

Spaghetti with Garlic Butter and Cheese

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A buttery, garlicky, salty, peppery pasta dish that takes 15 minutes to prepare plus the time it takes to get a pot of water to boil. Using fresh garlic gives an explosion of flavor but granulated garlic powder does the job too and is probably preferred if serving to little ones. The most important step to making this dish is speed because the pasta water needs to be hot to deliver a smooth creamy sauce. Recipe can be halved which will serve about 4 - 6 as a side. A full recipe serves 4 - 6 as a main dish.

Course: Main Course, Side

Cuisine: American, Italian, Peruvian

Keyword: Pasta, Spaghetti with Garlic Butter and Cheese

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 4 Servings

Author: Natalie Gregory

Ingredients

• 1 pound spaghetti
• 1 stick butter cut into 8 pieces
• 2 teaspoons granulated garlic powder or 4 medium cloves minced
• 1 cup (4 ounces) finely grated Romano or Parmesan cheese*
• Kosher salt to taste (I use 2 teaspoons)**
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup of reserved hot pasta water you may not use it all

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Instructions

• Cook the pasta according to package directions - al dente, please in salted boiling water. Check out my post for How to Cook Pasta for proper cooking and seasoning. After the pasta is cooked, reserve 1 cup or more of pasta water and drain the rest.
• Over medium heat, add a stick of butter to the pot and melt. 
• Add the garlic powder (or freshly minced for a more intense flavor) and stir allowing the garlic to release its fragrance. Do not brown. This should only take about 30 seconds. If using garlic powder, it should take less.
• Remove pot from heat, add in the spaghetti, salt and pepper and toss. Add a little pasta water and continue to toss coating the pasta.
• Add the cheese and continue to toss until the pasta is fully coated. Add more of the pasta water to give it a nice consistency. The hot pasta water will melt the cheese and turn it into a smooth creamy sauce.
• Top with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired. (Do I even have to write that?)

Notes

*You can use Pecorino Romano and it’s actually my preference. If you do use it you won’t be disappointed, but before adding any additional salt, taste first as it is salty. 1 cup of grated Parmesan or Romano can be different for everyone. If you use a food processor to grate or use purchased grated cheese, using a cup measure should be fine. If you use a microplane, it’s not going to be the same. Therefore, you can use 4 ounces as a guide for weight. I don’t recommend using shredded cheese here because it will clump up and not mix properly. **Again, Romano cheese is saltier than Parmesan and that’s why it’s my preference for this dish. I use 2 teaspoons of Diamond Crystal kosher salt when making this but you could start with 1 teaspoon and add from there.

Did you make this recipe? Tag @thegeneticchef and use #thegeneticchef and tell me all about it!