Garlic Butter Linguine Dish (Printable Version)

Linguine in a rich garlic butter sauce accented with fresh parsley and optional lemon zest.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 14 oz linguine

→ Sauce

02 - 6 tbsp unsalted butter
03 - 6 large garlic cloves, finely minced
04 - 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
05 - Zest of 1 lemon (optional)
06 - 1/2 tsp sea salt
07 - 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

→ Finishing

08 - 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
09 - 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
10 - Extra lemon wedges, to serve

# How To Make It:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add linguine and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain pasta.
02 - Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant but not browned. Stir in red pepper flakes and lemon zest, if using.
03 - Add drained linguine to the skillet. Toss to coat in the garlic butter. Gradually add reserved pasta water to help the sauce adhere smoothly to the pasta.
04 - Season with sea salt and black pepper. Stir in chopped parsley and half of the Parmesan cheese if using. Toss until evenly combined.
05 - Serve immediately, garnished with remaining Parmesan and lemon wedges on the side.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's proof that elegance doesn't require a complicated ingredient list or fancy technique.
  • Your kitchen will smell incredible for hours afterward, and people will think you spent all day cooking.
  • The whole thing comes together faster than ordering takeout, yet it feels genuinely special to eat.
02 -
  • The pasta water is not an afterthought—those starch particles are what transform melted butter into a real sauce that sticks instead of pools at the bottom of the pan.
  • Brown garlic tastes bitter and ruined, so keep that heat at medium and stir constantly; golden is the goal, not caramelized.
  • Serve immediately because this dish loses its magic the second it cools; reheated linguine and congealed butter are nobody's idea of dinner.
03 -
  • Reserve your pasta water before draining—once it's gone, you can't get it back, and it's genuinely what separates restaurant-quality from flat.
  • If your sauce looks too thick, add more pasta water one tablespoon at a time; if it looks too thin, let it cook down for thirty seconds on slightly higher heat.
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