Roasted Garlic Cream Pasta (Printable Version)

Silky roasted garlic cream sauce coats tender pasta in this elegant Italian comfort dish. Simple, satisfying, and ready in under an hour.

# What You 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 whole 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

→ Garnish

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

# How to Make:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Slice the 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 completely, then squeeze out roasted cloves.
02 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, then drain.
03 - Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped shallot and sauté for approximately 2 minutes until softened.
04 - Mash roasted garlic cloves into a paste and add to the skillet, stirring continuously for 1 minute until aromatic.
05 - Pour cream and milk into the skillet, whisking to combine thoroughly. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 3-4 minutes until slightly thickened.
06 - Stir in Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Simmer gently until cheese melts completely and sauce achieves velvety consistency.
07 - Add drained pasta to sauce, tossing to coat evenly. Add reserved pasta water gradually in small amounts until sauce reaches desired consistency.
08 - Transfer to serving plates immediately while hot. Garnish generously with extra Parmesan and fresh parsley.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The roasted garlic turns mellow and almost buttery, nothing like the sharp raw kind.
  • It comes together with pantry staples but tastes like you ordered it from a cozy trattoria.
  • The sauce clings to every strand of pasta in the most satisfying way.
  • It's rich enough to impress guests but simple enough for a solo weeknight dinner.
02 -
  • Don't skip reserving the pasta water, it's the secret to a sauce that actually sticks instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl.
  • Roasting the garlic low and slow is non-negotiable, rushing it in a hotter oven leaves it bitter instead of sweet.
  • Use freshly grated Parmesan, the pre-grated kind has additives that make the sauce grainy instead of smooth.
03 -
  • Roast extra garlic bulbs and store the cloves in olive oil in the fridge, they'll keep for a week and make this dish even faster next time.
  • If your sauce breaks or looks grainy, pull it off the heat and whisk in a tablespoon of cold butter, it'll come back together.
  • Toss the pasta in the skillet instead of plating first, it ensures every piece is coated evenly and tastes better.
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