Roasted Garlic Cream Pasta (Printable)

Silky roasted garlic cream sauce coats tender fettuccine in this comforting Italian dish, finished with Parmesan.

# What You’ll 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 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, optional

→ Garnish

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

# How-To Steps:

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 to 40 minutes until soft and golden. Cool, then squeeze out the roasted garlic 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 of pasta cooking water, then drain.
03 - Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and sauté until softened, about 2 minutes.
04 - Mash roasted garlic into a paste and add to the skillet, stirring for 1 minute until fragrant.
05 - Pour in cream and milk, whisking to combine. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until slightly thickened.
06 - Stir in Parmesan, salt, pepper, and nutmeg if using. Simmer gently until cheese melts and sauce becomes velvety.
07 - Add drained pasta to the sauce, tossing to coat. Add reserved pasta water a splash at a time until sauce reaches desired consistency.
08 - Serve immediately, garnished with extra Parmesan and parsley if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • Roasting the garlic transforms it into something sweet and mellow, with none of the sharpness that makes you avoid people for hours.
  • The sauce comes together in less than ten minutes once the garlic is ready, making it feel fancy without the fuss.
  • It uses pantry staples you probably already have, so no frantic grocery runs at 6 p.m.
  • Leftovers reheat beautifully with a splash of milk, which almost never happens with cream sauces.
02 -
  • Don't skip roasting the garlic, raw garlic will make the sauce sharp and aggressive instead of sweet and mellow.
  • Reserve that pasta water before you drain, it's the only thing that will bring the sauce back to life if it gets too thick.
  • Use freshly grated Parmesan, the pre shredded kind has anti caking agents that make the sauce grainy instead of smooth.
03 -
  • Roast a whole tray of garlic bulbs at once and keep the extra cloves in the fridge, they're great on toast, in mashed potatoes, or just eaten straight with a spoon.
  • If the sauce breaks or looks greasy, whisk in a tablespoon of pasta water off the heat, it'll bring it back together like magic.
  • Taste before you add salt, Parmesan is already salty and you don't want to overdo it.
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