10 Minute Garlic Butter Pasta

5 from 7 votes

The easiest butter pasta recipe, all made in one pan in just 10 minutes.

Cook Time10

Total Time10

Course: Dinner, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Servings: people

Author: Alicia

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add pasta to the pan and cook for about 1 minute, stirring often, to lightly toast the pasta. Stir in the garlic powder, broth, salt, and pepper.
Bring the broth to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring halfway, until the pasta is al dente and almost all of the liquid has been absorbed. Check around the 7-8 minute mark and if the pan gets too dry, you can add a little more broth.
Turn off the heat and add in 2-3 more tablespoons of butter. If using the cream, add it now. Taste and season with more salt if desired. Serve immediately and top with more freshly ground black pepper.

Fresh garlic substitute - I recipe tested both ways and found garlic powder to be very good without the extra dishes/effort, but understand some people may prefer fresh. Use 2-3 garlic cloves, minced, and stir that into the butter in step 1.
Other pasta types - Ditalini pasta is widely found and a small, tubular pasta. It's perfect for toasting. You'd want to substitute it with another small pasta like macaroni or orzo, however the cooking times may change slightly.
Don't have a lid? Cover the skillet with a larger sheet pan.
Extra creaminess - The sauce is slightly creamy on it's own, but adding 1/4 of heavy cream or 1/3 cup parmesan (not HYH) would make it even more creamy.