Garlic Butter Noodles
Best Garlic Butter Noodles Recipe – This perfectly simple and scrumptious comfort food dish features tender pasta tossed with a delicious buttery garlic sauce. It’s easy to make in under 20 minutes with a handful of basic ingredients!
Why We Love This Pasta Recipe
Garlic. Butter. Pasta. I mean, seriously, how can you go wrong??!
This classic Garlic Butter Noodles recipe is beloved by kids and adults alike. Toss your choice of pasta in a butter garlic sauce for a main dish (or side dish) that’s super easy to make and packed with flavor. You can also add your favorite toppings to add some pizzaz, like parmesan cheese and/or fresh chopped herbs.
So when in doubt, make up a steaming hot batch of butter garlic noodles! With just a handful of simple ingredients, they’re ready to serve in less than 20 minutes as basic or dressed-up as you like for a quick and easy dinner or lunch.
Ingredients You Need
- Dried pasta – your choice of hearty noodles like pappardelle (what we use here), spaghetti, linguine, egg noodles, ramen noodles, etc
- Butter – unsalted
- Garlic – peeled and minced
- Lemon juice – fresh squeezed is best, but bottled will do in a pinch
- Salt and black pepper – a bit of each to taste
- Garnishes – fresh parsley, grated or shredded parmesan, and/or crushed red pepper flakes
How to Make Garlic Butter Noodles
Set a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta in a colander and set aside.
While the pasta is cooking, set a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the butter to the pan. Once the butter has fully melted, add in minced garlic. Sauté the garlic for 2 to 3 minutes to soften. Turn the heat down if needed so the garlic does not burn. Then add in lemon juice and stir.
Add the hot drained pasta to the garlic butter sauce. Gently toss to coat all the pasta in the sauce.
Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Toss again.
Get the Complete (Printable) Garlic Butter Noodles Recipe + VIDEO Below. Enjoy!
Stir in fresh chopped parsley, if using. Then taste and add additional seasoning if needed.
Sprinkle the garlic butter noodles with parmesan cheese if desired, and serve warm.
Recipe Variations
- Gluten-free – use your preferred GF noodles
- Dairy-free – use a plant-based alternative butter to make this a vegan butter noodles recipe
- Seasonings – add a pinch of spices like Italian seasoning, Cajun seasoning, lemon pepper, or other seasoning blends to the butter just before adding the pasta
- Add-ins – feel free to toss in other ingredients such as cooked proteins like chicken or shrimp, and/or veggies like broccoli, tomatoes, peas, spinach, or mushrooms
- Toppings – sprinkle on toasted nuts or seeds, or other fresh herbs like chopped chives, green onions, rosemary, or basil
Serving Suggestions
I don’t know about you, but I could slurp up a big bowl of buttery garlic noodles all by itself!
But if you are in the mood, go ahead and make this a full meal by pairing it with any number of side dishes. The pasta is great with a simple fresh green salad, Caesar salad, or Caprese Panzanella.
It’s also delicious to serve with hunks of warm, crusty bread to soak up all of that garlic butter sauce goodness!
Frequently Asked Questions
In this recipe, we keep the sauce on the thinner side, so that it just coats the pasta. However, the butter will thicken a bit as it cooks down while sautéing the garlic – so you can keep cooking a bit longer to reduce the butter further if you like. It will also thicken up a bit on the pasta as the butter begins to cool down.
The fattiness of butter is perfect for coating pasta and makes each noodle moist, flavorful, and decadent. It also keeps the pasta from sticking together!
This garlic butter noodles recipe is great for leftovers! Let the butter noodles cool completely before transferring them to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Looking for More Easy Pasta Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
- Lemon Ricotta Pasta (One Pot)
- Cacio e Pepe (Cheese and Pepper Pasta)
- One Pot Spaghetti Carbonara
- Balsamic Roasted Cherry Tomatoes with Pasta
- Gemelli Pasta with Creamy Mushroom Sauce
- Creamy Broccoli Pasta
Garlic Butter Noodles Recipe + VIDEO
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried pasta spaghetti, pappardelle, shells, any shape
- 10 tablespoons butter
- 4-5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3-4 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
- Salt and pepper
- Optional: Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Set a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta in a colander and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, set a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the butter to the pan. Once the butter has fully melted, add in the minced garlic. Sauté the garlic for 2 to 3 minutes to soften. Turn the heat down if needed so the garlic does not burn. Then add in the lemon juice and stir.
- Add the hot drained pasta to the garlic butter sauce. Gently toss to coat all the pasta in the sauce. Sprinkle generously with parsley, salt, and pepper. Toss again.
- Then taste and add additional seasoning if needed. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired!
I always had butter noodles growing up, but adding this twist of garlic really puts this dish over the top! thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe
nothing better than sharing good food recipes and preparation tips.