Creamy Garlic Pasta
Creamy garlic pasta is a quick 20-minute dinner that’s rich and decadent. Boil the fettuccine, and make the mascarpone garlic cream sauce while it cooks. The velvety rich sauce coats the pasta, leaving you no choice but to devour the whole bowl.
If this garlic pasta had a cousin, it would be American-style Alfredo sauce, but instead of Parmesan cheese, we’re using Asiago and adding creamy mascarpone cheese. Mascarpone is a soft Italian cheese that is similar to cream cheese in texture but without the tang. It gives the sauce the most velvety texture.
Add garlic to that creamy sauce, and you get a pan of the creamiest garlic pasta in about 20 minutes. All you need is a fork to twirl every last velvety-coated ribbon of pasta.
Ingredients
- Fettuccine: The garlic sauce pairs best with long pasta shapes. If you have spaghetti, linguine, or bucatini on hand, any of them will work in place of fettuccine.
- Garlic: You can use fresh garlic cloves, but roasted garlic is also terrific in this recipe. It’s more mellow, so you can use up to double the amount.
- Mascarpone cheese: Look for it in the specialty cheese area at the grocery store. If you can’t find it, you can use the same amount of cream cheese, but the sauce will have a tangier flavor.
- Asiago cheese: I love the nutty flavor and creamy texture, but you can use the same amount of Parmesan cheese or Romano cheese instead.
- Herbs: Fresh parsley, added right at the end, adds a pop of fresh flavor and color. Fresh basil would be great, too.
- Butter
- Heavy cream
- Salt and black pepper
How to Make It
☑️ Boil the Pasta
I like to boil the pasta for about two minutes less than what’s recommended on the package. It will be firm but will continue cooking once you add it to the sauce. Once you get the pasta boiling, you can work on the rest of the recipe.
☑️ Make the Sauce
Melt the butter in a large pan and then cook the garlic in the butter for a couple of minutes. This will infuse the garlic flavor into the butter.
Whisk the cream into the butter until combined. Warm the mixture, and add the mascarpone cheese. Whisk until the sauce is smooth.
Whisk in the Asiago cheese, salt, pepper, and fresh parsley. Whisk until the sauce is creamy and smooth.
☑️ Finish it Up
Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and stir. The sauce will take a couple of minutes to thicken and coat the pasta. Once it’s thickened, it’s ready to serve.
More Creamy Pasta Recipes
Creamy Garlic Pasta
Fettuccine coated in a creamy mascarpone garlic cream sauce is a quick and decadent 20-minute dinner. Add a salad, cooked vegetable, or bread on the side, and it will easily stretch to serve four people. All on its own, it makes two generous servings.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 8 ounces fettuccine
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
- 1/4 cup shredded Asiago cheese
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Instructions
- Boil the pasta for two minutes less than what’s recommended on the package. While the pasta is boiling, make the sauce.
- Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook it for two to three minutes. Add the cream and whisk the cream and butter together. Once the cream is steaming hot, add the mascarpone cheese. Continue whisking until it has melted into the cream mixture.
- Add the Asiago cheese, salt, pepper, and parsley. Continue whisking until the sauce is smooth and creamy.
- Add the cooked pasta and stir it into the sauce for two minutes, constantly stirring. The sauce will thicken as you stir. Once it’s thickened, it’s ready to serve.
Notes
I find it’s easier to use tongs to stir the pasta with the sauce until the sauce is thickened. You can use the tongs to grab the pasta and turn it over itself. It’s easier than using a spatula.
This pasta is best enjoyed when it’s made, but leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for a few days. When you reheat the sauce, it may break and not be as creamy, but a splash or two of cream, milk, or half and half will help loosen it up.
Nutrition
- Calories: 459
- Sugar: 3.2g
- Sodium: 740.4mg
- Fat: 25.5g
- Saturated Fat: 15.4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8.0g
- Trans Fat: 0.4g
- Carbohydrates: 46.1g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 11.7g
- Cholesterol: 72.3mg
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
More 20-Minute Dinners
I hope you love this pasta recipe! Save it for a night when you need a little pasta love 🖤
Happy cooking,
This creamy garlic pasta post has been updated from the archives. It was first published in March 2020.
I made this last night with some changes. I added a small shallot with the garlic and replaced the parsley with celery leaves (I don’t care for parsley). I also used Old Bay seasoning in addition to the salt and pepper. Also added a teaspoon of lemon zest, a light squeeze of lemon juice and 1/4 cup of chicken stock to thin it out a little bit. Topped it off with grilled shrimp. The fam loved it and it was all gone before bed.
Love the additions you made! Thanks for letting me know and thanks for the rating 🙂
Omg best sauce ever! We doctored this a bit, adding pancetta, toasted walnuts, and some lemon zest and lemon juice. The sauce was soooo good and I told my bf it was the best thing he’s ever made!
I’ve tried many recipes from the internet and liked the vast majority, however, I’ve never left a comment. For this one, I had to. My absolute favorite restaurant meal is Olive Garden’s fettucini alfredo, hands down. And now I never have to go spend the gas, time, and money again. This recipe tastes EXACTLY like it. It’s FANTASTIC! I made it just as listed, topping with sauteed mushrooms and baked chicken. My family loved it too. Perfect!
You made my day! I’m so glad you love the recipe 🙂
This an excellent quick meal. It is very favorable. I use angel hair pasta instead of spaghetti because that is what we prefer. My husband likes to mix in petite peas.