Roasted Garlic Cream Pasta (Printable Version)

Luxurious pasta with roasted garlic cream sauce and fresh Parmesan. A simple yet elegant Italian comfort dish.

# What You'll Need:

→ Roasted Garlic

01 - 2 whole garlic bulbs
02 - 2 teaspoons olive oil

→ Pasta

03 - 12 ounces fettuccine or spaghetti
04 - Salt for pasta water

→ Cream Sauce

05 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
06 - 1 small shallot, finely chopped
07 - 1 cup heavy cream
08 - 1/4 cup milk
09 - 2 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese
10 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
11 - 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
12 - Pinch of nutmeg, optional

→ Garnish

13 - Extra Parmesan cheese for serving
14 - Chopped fresh parsley, optional

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Slice tops off garlic bulbs to expose cloves, drizzle with olive oil, wrap in foil, and roast for 35-40 minutes until soft and golden. Cool slightly, then squeeze out roasted garlic cloves.
02 - Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain.
03 - Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and sauté until softened, approximately 2 minutes.
04 - Mash roasted garlic into a paste and add to skillet, stirring for 1 minute until fragrant.
05 - Pour cream and milk into skillet, whisking to combine. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 3-4 minutes until slightly thickened.
06 - Stir in Parmesan, salt, pepper, and nutmeg if using. Simmer gently until cheese melts and sauce becomes velvety.
07 - Add drained pasta to sauce, tossing to coat thoroughly. Add reserved pasta water a splash at a time until sauce reaches desired consistency.
08 - Transfer to serving plates immediately. Garnish with extra Parmesan and parsley if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The roasted garlic turns sweet and mellow, none of that sharp bite you get from raw cloves.
  • It comes together in under an hour but feels like the kind of thing you'd order at a cozy trattoria.
  • The sauce clings to every strand of pasta without feeling heavy or greasy.
  • You can double the roasted garlic batch and keep extras for garlic bread, mashed potatoes, or just spreading on toast.
02 -
  • Don't skip reserving the pasta water, it's the only thing that will bring the sauce back to life if it gets too thick.
  • Roasted garlic can burn quickly once the cloves are exposed, so check it after 35 minutes and trust your nose.
  • Add the Parmesan off the heat or on very low heat, high heat can make it grainy and separated.
  • If your sauce breaks or looks oily, whisk in a tablespoon of pasta water at a time until it comes back together.
03 -
  • Roast multiple garlic bulbs at once and store the extra cloves in olive oil in the fridge, they'll keep for a week and you'll use them constantly.
  • Use a large skillet, not a saucepan, so the pasta has room to toss and the sauce coats evenly without clumping.
  • Grate your Parmesan fresh from a block, the pre-grated kind has anti-caking agents that prevent it from melting smoothly.
  • If you want a little heat, add a pinch of red pepper flakes when you sauté the shallot.
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