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One Pot Creamy Garlic Pasta

One pot creamy garlic pasta with silky linguine coated in a glossy garlic cream sauce. Parmesan melts throughout for a thick, creamy finish, ready as a quick weeknight pasta dinner.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 760
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

linguine or spaghetti
  • 12 oz linguine or spaghetti
garlic
  • 6 cloves garlic cloves minced
butter
  • 3 tbsp butter
broth
  • 2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
heavy cream
  • 1.5 cup heavy cream
parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
salt
  • 1 Salt to taste
black pepper
  • 1 cracked black pepper to taste
basil for serving
  • 1 Fresh basil plus extra parmesan for serving

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Cook the garlic base
  1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat, then add minced garlic and sauté for 1–2 minutes until fragrant and just golden.
  2. Add broth and heavy cream to the pot and bring to a gentle boil.
Cook pasta in the sauce
  1. Add uncooked linguine or spaghetti and cook, stirring frequently, for 10–12 minutes until the pasta is al dente and the liquid has reduced into a creamy sauce.
  2. Stir in grated parmesan and Italian seasoning until the cheese is fully melted and the sauce looks silky.
Season and serve
  1. Season generously with salt and cracked black pepper.
  2. Serve immediately, topped with fresh basil leaves and extra parmesan.

Notes

For the creamiest texture, stir often while the pasta cooks so the starch emulsifies with the garlic cream sauce. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3 days; reheat gently with a splash of broth or cream to loosen the sauce. Freezing is not recommended because the cream can split on thawing. If you want a lighter option, swap heavy cream for half-and-half and reduce the cook time by 1–2 minutes, then melt in parmesan off the heat to help it stay smooth.