This 20-minute Easy Butter Cheese Pasta is an instant crowd-pleaser for all ages. Requiring only 4 main ingredients, pasta is cooked in a simple garlic butter sauce, before tossed in grated parmesan. Serve with some chili oil for a bit of heat!
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There can never be enough quick and easy pasta recipes to have under our belt. For those days when you seem to be on-the-go constantly with barely any rests in between, or even for when you just want to have a lazy day, lounging at home. This dish is perfect for either occasions.
So simple and effortless to make, but you’ll get a plate of delicious pasta that’s full of flavor. It’s also a kid-friendly dish! There have been plenty of times when I had to whip this up quickly whenever my nieces and nephews come for a visit. And it’s always a hit!
Butter Garlic Cheese Pasta
This easy butter cheese pasta requires only 4 main ingredients for the recipe: pasta, butter, garlic, and grated parmesan. And it comes together in just 20 minutes (or less, once you’ve gotten the steps down)!
Also, if you’re familiar with the way I roll, I always love to add on some chili oil to top it off. The dash of heat with each bite really pulls it all together, in my opinion.

Ingredients
(For full ingredient measurements, please proceed to the recipe card below.)
- Pasta: I typically use long pasta such as spaghetti, though you can also substitute it with other options such as linguine, fettuccine, or angel hair. However, long pastas might be a child’s worst enemy (in that moment). So short pastas work just as well! Penne, fusilli, rigatonni, or even macaroni.
- Butter
- Pasta water
- Grated parmesan
- Garlic
- Salt
Garnish
- Parsley
- Grated parmesan
- Chili oil (optional): I used my homemade chili oil. As for a store bought option, I recommend the one by Lao Gan Ma.

Instructions
- Boil pasta in salted water per package instructions and reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water (see notes).
- Melt butter over medium low heat and once the butter melts, add minced garlic. Let it cook for 1-2 minutes or until before it turns brown then add pasta water, pasta and grated parmesan cheese.
- With tongs, toss until every strand of pasta is well coated. Taste and add salt if needed.
- Serve and garnish with parsley, grated parmesan and chili oil (optional). Enjoy!
Notes for Easy Butter Cheese Pasta (20 minutes)
- Add as much or as little garlic as you want.
- You want to make sure to cook over low to medium low heat so the garlic flavor infuses the melted butter and to prevent burning.
- Adjust amount of salt to taste.
- Chili oil is optional but I always like to add a bit of heat to my dishes. You can also add chili flakes instead.
More Pasta Recipes
- Garlic Mushroom Lemon Pasta
- Shrimp Scampi Pasta (Without Wine)
- Creamy Shrimp Alfredo Pasta
- Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta
- Creamy Chili Oil Pasta
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How to make easy butter cheese pasta

Easy Butter Cheese Pasta (20 minutes)
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb spaghetti pasta or your choice of pasta
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup pasta water
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan
- 1 tsp garlic minced (see notes)
- salt
Garnish
- parsley
- grated parmesan
- chili oil optional
Instructions
- Boil pasta in salted water per package instructions and reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water (see notes).
- Melt butter over medium low heat and once the butter melts, add minced garlic. Let it cook for 1-2 minutes or until before it turns brown then add pasta water, pasta and grated parmesan cheese.
- With tongs, toss until every strand of pasta is well coated. Taste and add salt if needed.
- Serve and garnish with parsley, grated parmesan and chili oil (optional). Enjoy!
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