Lazy Girl Three-Ingredient Pasta (Printable Version)

Creamy butter and Parmesan pasta tossed with reserved cooking water for luscious texture.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 7 oz dried pasta (spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine)

→ Sauce

02 - 3.5 tbsp unsalted butter
03 - 2 oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese

→ For Finishing

04 - Salt, to taste
05 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste (optional)

# Steps:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente according to package instructions.
02 - Reserve approximately 2/3 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta thoroughly.
03 - Return the hot pasta to the pot off the heat. Add the butter and toss until melted and the pasta is evenly coated.
04 - Sprinkle in the Parmesan cheese and add 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss vigorously until a creamy sauce forms, adding more water to reach preferred consistency.
05 - Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve immediately, optionally topped with additional Parmesan.

# Expert Pointers:

01 -
  • It comes together in the time it takes to boil pasta, perfect for those nights when cooking feels like too much effort
  • The sauce tastes like you spent hours reducing cream, but its just pasta water doing the magic
  • My roommate walked in, took one bite, and asked what restaurant I ordered from
02 -
  • The first time I made this I added the cheese while the heat was still on and ended up with grainy clumps instead of sauce
  • Pasta water is the secret ingredient, so do not even think about dumping it down the drain
03 -
  • Room temperature ingredients create the smoothest sauce texture
  • Toss the pasta like you mean it, the motion helps build the emulsion
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