White Pasta Sauce (Creamy Garlic Parmesan)
A quick and creamy white pasta sauce that’s silky, comforting, and endlessly versatile. Ready in 10 minutes, it’s the base recipe for all your favorite creamy pasta dishes.
Servings: 2 people
Ingredients
- 220 grams dried pasta (½ pound)
- 1 tablespoon butter (or olive oil)
- 2 - 3 cloves garlic very finely diced/minced
- ¾ cup cream
- 50 grams Parmesan very finely grated with a microplane or star side of a box grater
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon black pepper
- salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice optional, see notes
Instructions
- Boil your pasta in well salted boiling water, I undercook dried pasta by a minute so it can bubble away in the sauce at the end and not overcook. Reserve a cup of pasta water before draining.
- In a large fry pan, heat the butter over a medium heat and gently fry the garlic for a minute, it shouldn't brown at all.
- Pour in the cream and bring to a very gentle simmer (lower the heat if you need, it should never be boiling).
- Add the grated parmesan in 2 or 3 separate lots, mixing and letting it melt in between each addition.
- Add the pepper and ¼ cup of pasta water, mix well and let it very gently simmer for 1 - 2 minutes to thicken slightly.
- Add the cooked pasta in, toss well and again, let it gently bubble away for a minute or two. Check for seasoning and add a big pinch of salt if it needs.
- Add the lemon juice if using and mix in well. I highly recommend this as it really helps to cut through the richness of the sauce. You could start with ½ tablespoon if unsure.
- Serve with some extra parmesan and black pepper on top.
Notes
Pasta - this is enough for two generous portions. I always weigh my pasta portions for the perfect ratio of pasta to sauce.
Salt your pasta water well - salting your pasta water adequately really makes a difference to the end result. Check out my guide on how to cook pasta.
Cream - I tested this with a double cream. A heavy or whipping cream will work but so will a light cream. Pasta water can adjust it so anything is great.
Parmesan - this is one of the main flavors and seasonings so a good quality cheese will make a difference. It needs to be very finely grated to melt into cream nicely.
Lemon juice - this really adds a wonderful brightness to a creamy white sauce. Adding it in with the pasta at the end means less chance of it curdling the sauce.
Add-ins - this really is the perfect base to add any protein or vegetable into. Some pan-fried chicken or shrimp or keep it vegetarian with some peas, spinach or pan-fried broccoli. Head to my creamy pasta sauce collection for a tonne of inspiration.