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This One Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta is an easy and delicious meal that comes together in only 20 minutes! The creamy, cheesy sauce pairs perfectly with the garlic flavor making it a comforting and satisfying dish. You can even customize it by adding your favorite proteins like grilled chicken or shrimp for a complete meal.

tongs holding a large amount of garlic parmesan pasta in a nonstick skillet
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There is nothing more satisfying than a giant bowl of creamy, cheesy pasta. More specifically, this one pot garlic parmesan pasta. I was so surprised when I made this because I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did. Don’t get me wrong, I knew I was going to love it based on the short ingredient list and ease of it, but I did not expect that flavor bomb in my mouth. I guess you can say garlic and cheese always makes things better, huh?

Why You’ll Love This

So fast. Seriously wicked fast. It takes about 20 minutes to make the entire dish and it’s mostly thanks to the angel hair pasta that cooks in a snap!

Creamy, cheesy, and comforting. The three C’s of cooking! Not really, but you can almost guarantee if a recipe is creamy, cheesy, and comforting, it is a recipe to save and make over and over again! It’s so rich and satisfying.

Customizable to suit your taste. You can make garlic parmesan pasta as a side dish to a larger protein like a steak or salmon dish or you can add in proteins to make it a complete meal.

ingredients for garlic parmesan pasta: chicken stock, parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, angel hair pasta, garlic, and heavy cream

Ingredients You’ll Need

Here is a list of ingredients you will need to make one pot garlic parmesan pasta. Make sure to scroll down to view the full recipe for more details.

  • Garlic
  • Chicken stock
  • Heavy cream
  • Pasta – angel hair for this as it cooks super fast!
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Fresh parsley

How To Make

Take a look at the recipe card below for detailed instructions on how to make this garlic parmesan pasta. For now, here are the basics.

Sauté the garlic and heat up the sauce. In a large skillet, sauté the minced garlic with a little bit of olive oil. Add the chicken stock and heavy cream. Bring to a low simmer.

Break and add the pasta. I personally like breaking the angel hair in half then adding it to the skillet but if you have a large enough skillet that holds the length of the angel hair then you can leave it full. Add the pasta to the skillet and make sure it is submerged in the liquid.

Cook the pasta. Allow pasta to cook for about 7 minutes then remove from heat.

Fold in the cheese. Add the parmesan cheese and stir to incorporate. Sprinkle fresh parsley on top, if using. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

garlic parmesan pasta in a speckled beige ceramic bowl with a gold folk

Substitutions and Variations

If you want to use spaghetti or something other than angel hair, you may have to increase the amount of liquid used.

Short pastas might not work as well as thin, long pastas in this dish.

You may substitute 2% or whole milk for the heavy cream. Or use half and half.

Add in your favorite protein if you feel that you want to make this a more complete meal. I actually microwaved grilled chicken strips and chopped them up and stirred them in the pasta at the end. Shrimp would be a great addition as well!

Tips for Success

One pot garlic parmesan pasta is relatively easy to make, but here are some tips and tricks to help you make it a success!

  • Use thin pasta. Thick pastas like linguine or bucatini, while delicious, won’t work well in this recipe in terms of “quick.” They take a lot longer to cook and will require more liquids.
  • Fresh grate the parmesan cheese. I know it’s so much quicker to just grab a container but if you freshly grate it, it’ll melt so much better and be creamier and smoother.
garlic parmesan pasta with fresh parsley sprinkled on top in a bowl with a gold fork

Storage and Reheating Instructions

This will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to five days. To reheat, you’ll need to add a splash of liquid (water or chicken stock) to help it not be as thick and stuck together.

What to Serve with Garlic Parmesan Pasta

Serving this pasta with some Extra Garlicky and Cheesy Bread would be a great companion as is some Garlic Herb Parker House Rolls!

More creamy pasta recipes to enjoy!

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5 from 3 votes

One Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta

Perfect as a main or side dish, this One Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta is sure to be a crowd-pleaser!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 2

Ingredients 

  • 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 8 ounces angel hair pasta
  • ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Freshly chopped parsley, for garnish

Instructions 

  • Add a little olive oil to a large skillet over medium high heat. Sauté the garlic until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
  • Add the heavy cream and chicken stock to the skillet and bring to a low simmer. Once the liquid is at a low simmer, add the angel hair pasta. You may need to break it in half when you add it. Make sure the pasta is completely submerged in the liquid. Cover and let cook for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you need more liquid, add a little at a time.
  • Once the pasta is cooked through and liquid has mostly evaporated, remove from heat and add the parmesan cheese. Stir to incorporate and add salt and pepper, to taste.
  • Garnish with fresh parsley and serve warm.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (4 ounces), Calories: 824kcal, Carbohydrates: 100g, Protein: 30g, Fat: 33g, Saturated Fat: 19g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 96mg, Sodium: 805mg, Potassium: 631mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 9g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.

The default measuring system for this website is US Customary. Unit conversions are provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. While we strive to provide accurate unit conversions, please be aware that there may be some discrepancies.

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2 Comments

  1. Wow, this was so good!! I love a good, cheesy pasta (I grew up on Olive Garden Alfredo and love it so much, what can I say?? But now I don’t even live close to one).

    This was, dare I say, better? And I can make it at home with ingredients I always have in 20 minutes? In one pan?!

    This was a huge hit for me! Admittedly, my stove is questionable with consistent heat so I kept adjusting the heat up and down because I was worried the whole milk would curdle. Because of this, it took a little longer but it’s totally worth a few extra minutes. I can’t wait to make it again.

    Thanks for the delicious and easy recipe!!

  2. I made this last night for dinner. This was a really good pasta dish. It was flavorful and had the perfect balance of garlic flavor. I followed the recipe as written. The fact it is made in one pan made it even better. This will be a repeat meal for me.