Creamy Garlic Butter Ditalini (Printable)

Silky ditalini tossed in garlic butter sauce with cream and Parmesan for a quick, cozy pasta.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 10.5 oz ditalini pasta
02 - 8 cups water
03 - 1 tablespoon salt

→ Sauce

04 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
05 - 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
06 - ½ cup heavy cream
07 - ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
08 - ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
09 - ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
10 - 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (optional)
11 - Zest of ½ lemon (optional)

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add ditalini and cook according to package instructions until al dente, approximately 8 minutes. Reserve ¼ cup pasta water and drain pasta.
02 - Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant but not browned.
03 - Reduce heat to low. Stir in heavy cream and reserved pasta water, gently simmering the mixture.
04 - Add cooked ditalini to the skillet and toss to coat evenly with the sauce.
05 - Sprinkle Parmesan, black pepper, and salt over the pasta. Stir until the sauce is smooth and creamy, coating the pasta evenly. Adjust sauce consistency with additional pasta water if necessary.
06 - Remove from heat. Stir in parsley and lemon zest if desired. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately, garnished with extra Parmesan and parsley.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It's genuinely done in fifteen minutes, no hidden steps or tricks.
  • The sauce comes together so silkily that you'll find yourself making it twice a week without meaning to.
  • It tastes like you actually tried, but your secret is just butter and patience.
02 -
  • Brown garlic is burnt garlic, and burnt garlic tastes bitter and angry—medium heat and constant attention are not optional here.
  • Reserving pasta water changes everything; that starch is what makes the sauce cling to the pasta instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl.
  • If your sauce breaks and looks separated or grainy, remove it from the heat immediately and whisk in a splash of cold cream—this saves the whole dish.
03 -
  • Use the finest grater you have for the Parmesan—microplanes are worth the counter space because they create silky threads instead of rough shards.
  • The moment you taste the sauce and think it's perfect is the moment to stop stirring; overworking it can break the emulsion, so restraint is your friend here.
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