15-Minute Creamy Garlic Ditalini (Printable)

Tiny ditalini pasta tossed in a silky garlic butter sauce with cream and Parmesan cheese.

# Ingredient List:

→ Pasta

01 - 10.5 oz ditalini pasta
02 - 8 cups water
03 - 1 tablespoon salt

→ Sauce

04 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
05 - 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
06 - ½ cup heavy cream
07 - ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
08 - ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
09 - ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
10 - 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (optional)
11 - Zest of ½ lemon (optional)

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add ditalini and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Reserve ¼ cup pasta water, then drain the pasta.
02 - While pasta cooks, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant without browning.
03 - Reduce heat, then stir in heavy cream and reserved pasta water. Bring to a gentle simmer.
04 - Add cooked ditalini to the skillet and toss to coat evenly.
05 - Sprinkle in Parmesan, black pepper, and salt. Stir until smooth and creamy, adjusting thickness with additional pasta water if needed.
06 - Remove from heat. Stir in parsley and lemon zest if using. Adjust seasoning to taste.
07 - Serve immediately, garnished with extra Parmesan and parsley.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Dinner is genuinely ready in 15 minutes, and I mean actual dinner, not sad pasta with butter.
  • The sauce is luxuriously creamy without any cream-heavy sludge that happens when you rush things.
  • It's the kind of comforting that tastes like you spent way more effort than you actually did.
02 -
  • Don't skip reserving that pasta water—it's the difference between a sauce that coats and a sauce that clings.
  • Garlic can go from fragrant to burned in about 30 seconds, so stay present and keep the heat honest.
03 -
  • Use a microplane to grate your Parmesan—it integrates into the sauce like it was always supposed to be there, rather than melting into grainy clumps.
  • The pasta continues to absorb sauce as it sits, so if you're not eating immediately, keep it slightly looser than you think it should be.
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