Garlic Parmesan spaghetti is a simple pasta dish that can be served as a side or main dish. You can make this easy spaghetti recipe in about 15 minutes, using just 5 ingredients!
How do you make plain spaghetti taste better?
One way that I make spaghetti taste better is by adding fresh garlic and Parmesan cheese. Forget about basic tomato sauce or meat sauce. There are a lot of other ways to add flavor to pasta.
You can see the Garlic Parmesan Spaghetti recipe at the bottom of this post, but here are a few other ideas:
- Toss cooked spaghetti in extra virgin olive oil, then stir in some freshly chopped Italian herbs.
- Like it spicy? Toss in some crushed red pepper flakes for a nice, spicy bite.
- In a hurry? Instead of using oil or butter, drizzle a little Italian salad dressing over spaghetti, then toss to combine.
See? Adding flavor to plain spaghetti isn’t difficult; sometimes it just requires a little imagination!
Recipe Notes for Garlic Parmesan Spaghetti
This really is an easy spaghetti recipe, so there isn’t much to explain. However, some people struggle with cooking spaghetti to perfection and I think these tips will help.
How do you keep pasta from sticking?
To prevent cooked spaghetti pasta from sticking together, keep these simple, but important tips in mind:
-
- Wait until the water is at a full, rapid boil before adding the spaghetti.
- Never ever add oil to the pasta cooking water! While it’s true that oil will prevent pasta from sticking together, there’s a downside. The oil will also prevent any sauce from sticking to your spaghetti.
- Stir the pasta as it cooks, aim for stirring every 2-3 minutes.
- After the pasta is cooked, drain the water and rinse the with water. But ONLY rinse pasta if you won’t be eating it right away.
Other Easy Pasta Recipes
Garlic Parmesan Spaghetti
Garlic Parmesan spaghetti is a simple pasta dish with bold flavor! You can make this easy spaghetti recipei in about 15 minutes, using just 5 ingredients!
Ingredients
- 8 oz spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
- 2 oz grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
Instructions
- Heat up a pot of water and cook the spaghetti to al dente, according to the package instructions.
- Drain and set aside.
- Heat up a skillet with the olive oil and saute the garlic until aromatic but not browned.
- Add the spaghetti to the skillet, follow by salt and chicken bouillon powder. Stir to blend well.
- Turn off the heat and add the Parmesan cheese. Mix well with the spaghetti.
- Garnish with the parsley and serve immediately.
Nutrition Information
Yield
2Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 418Total Fat 22gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 14gCholesterol 24mgSodium 1167mgCarbohydrates 40gFiber 2gSugar 1gProtein 14g
Bobi says
Your calorie count is way off. This sounds delicious and I pinned it but the total calorie count is closer to 1300 for the recipe. If you divided into 2 servings it would be closer to 655 per serving.
Admin says
Hi Bobi, I am not sure. I am basically just using a recipe program to calculate it. I am not a nutritionist and the program generates the nutrition label that you see.
miri says
Yum Yum…..
thank you very much
Heidi says
Bobi, I”m a dietitian and I’m curious how you came up with 1300? 8oz pasta has 358, 2 tablespoons olive oil has 238 and 2 oz parmesan has 244–everything else is negligible, calorie-wise. that’s about 840 for entire recipe and about 420 for half.
It certainly is yummy and a great side dish for my family. Thank you
gregory anderson says
This dish reminds me of a favorite of mine from Portland Oregon’s Old Spaghetti Factory menu which is Mizithra Cheese and Browned Butter. I was stunned when I first tasted the sampler plate with multiple styles of pasta, I liked the “plain” one best! Go figure. It isn’t plain, but what did I know at 14 years old.
Thanks for the dish. I will be making it this next week. Being locked in during the Coronavirus Crise of 2020 give me time to make lots of recipes.
Admin says
Thanks Gregory for your comment. Be safe and healthy!
Carol says
This reminds me of my friends New Years Eve menus after her return from work in Italy. She took Cold pasta, very important she told me. Sauté sliced garlic cloves of garlic-according to taste, I use 3 or 4 large ones. Add spaghetti, toss until warm. Add freshly grated Parmesan & toss. Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley. Enjoy with some Vino! Now my go to comfort food with a beautiful salad.
Admin says
Thanks for your comment.
Robin Cofer says
Omg my brother and I were just talking about having this tomorrow. Many many years ago my Mither would make this dish; which if I recall correctly; she git recipe from the early days of TV cooking shows
So yummy and light. I’m. Glad to have your recipe
Admin says
Thanks Robin thanks for your comment!
miri says
Yum Yum…..
thank you very much
Julia says
Wow wow wow!! So delicious.
Just made it for lunch. Needed something quick and easy. This was it!! My kids devoured it. They said it was amazing. It truly was so delicious. Kids approved even by my picky eater. My new go to for sure. I did add a splash of heavy cream and pasta water because I went a bit heavy with the cheese :0
Admin says
Awesome thanks so much for trying this recipe!