No matter what skill level you attain as a cook or what triumphs of culinary complication you manage to master over the course of a lifetime it’s a plain simple truth that sometimes simpler is better. I feel that the simplest of dishes with the fewest ingredients actually take more skill to master than dishes with complex ingredient lists and prolonged methods.
In a simple dish there is no room for error. You can’t cover a mistake with another layer, or a touch of this or that. This dish is like that. It has just 5 ingredients and takes less than 15 minutes to prepare. A novice cook can easily make this dish and make it well. To make it perfectly every time is something that I strive for… And so far have not mastered.
My kids don’t mind that I keep trying. It’s one of their favorite foods, whether as a side dish or as a meal in itself. My wife fell in love with it on her last visit as well. Both of these things make me push myself to make it better every time I cook it. To add just a little more care. To be sure the pasta is perfectly al dente. That there isn’t too much or too little of any one thing. Because there’s no place to hide if I screw it up.
Do you have a simple dish like this in your arsenal? Is there something that you feel could always be just a little better than it was the last time? For me this is that dish.. But then, it’s so delicious that even if I’ve never achieved its pinnacle, the other versions are incredible, too.
- 1 pound pasta. (I prefer gemelli for this dish)
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/8 tsp paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil. Salt the water generously then add the pasta. Stir once to loosen the noodles. Cook until al dente (about 9 minutes for gemelli). Drain and set aside
Meanwhile, peel and mince the garlic. Melt the olive oil and butter over medium heat, swirling often to combine. Add garlic to the butter and olive oil. Cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic just begins to brown. Add paprika, salt, pepper and stir to combine.
Add the pasta to the skillet, toss to coat all noodles evenly and test for seasoning. (you will probably need more salt.)
Serve immediately.
Share and Enjoy!
What I would have done differently had I thought of it at the time:
Each time I make this I tweak something just a little. I prefer the garlic crisped as it takes on a slightly nutty and bitter flavor that cuts the richness of the butter well.
Browning the butter adds depth but the added nuttiness almost demands the addition of an acid to the dish; something I’m striving not to use here… The aim of this dish is perfection in simplicity.
Links to other recipes like this:
- Linguine with Garlic and Olive Oil, from Cookbook Catchall
- Garlic Pasta, from Bread + Butter
- Sage Garlic Butter Gnocchi, from The Purple Foodie
Hi! Thanks for visiting cooking by the seat of our pants!
We're sharing hundreds of our favorite recipes, kitchen tips and favorite tools, all tested by me, Jerry Russell, and my family and friends 
My name is Jerry Russell, and I'm a blogger. Since 2007 I've been writing about food and recipes at 
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
You are so right!!! I fell in love with this dish. Thank you for posting it honey, so I can make it over here!
I was the weird child who insisted on having her pasta naked. Butter, salt and pepper and maybe some parmesan were all I would agree to. Now that I’m all grown up I add garlic. Simply perfection. I still avoid all things drowned in tomato sauce even though I love tomatoes. =P
@Honey,
It’s my pleasure baby! let me know if you come up with any interesting variations.
@Nic,
I’m not at all opposed to tomato based pasta sauces, but this is one of my kids’ faves and as such deserved a place here.
what you could do, if you like the nuttiness, heat up the oil REAL hot, brown the garlic till crisp, set the garlic aside, then add the butter, and throw in the golden garlic at the end.
you will definitely need the pasta cooking water as well to gel the tastes together.
Peas!
A
Add some green chile to this! yum.
my 3 favs: butter, pasta and garlic!
this looks great! love your amazing photos and blog!
The simple dishes are the best -I love eating them but I always find it so hard to restrict myself to so little ingredients when cooking myself
You should try reserving about 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water right before you drain the noodles; add it to the pan with the fat and swirl on the range till most of the water boils off and the sauce emulsifies and forms. The starch from the water will add a layer of texture as well as help the sauce cling to the pasta better without using another ingredient.
ITALIAN dressing goes well on any kind of pasta.. the zesty kind with a lot of pepper and a little hot sauce
How many servings does this yield? I want to make this for dinner tonight, but I’ll be the only one eating!
Sorry to get back so late, but the recipe serves four to six. Just cut the numbers down. A cup of pasta, a pat of butter and a clove of garlic should do it
I would add the salt to the water and then bring it to a boil. Water boils faster with salt in it.
Water does not boil faster with salt. And perfection is balance, not simplicity.
Clarification: simplicity is attractive, but utterly pointless if out of balance.
Simply great…. I was looking for something very simple with garlic base and this was like a perfect match….. Thanks a ton for sharing….
I added some corriander leaves in the end….. :)
I’m so glad you liked it!
How about sauteing some shrimp in butter and mixing that in? Mmmm!
Absolutely! You can never go wrong with that combination.
Wow this was amazing! Thank you so much!
It’s a family favorite. I’m glad you liked it.
i addened crumbled italian sausage and spinach so yummy
I tried this today for lunch and its delicious! I added lemon instead of paprika. I also added some chicken, since it was my main lunch. I love it!!