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This Garlic Butter Noodles recipe is rich, garlicky, and simple to throw together – the kind of pasta you can make from memory. Add roasted veggies on top and it turns into a full, well-rounded meal.
Love a weeknight pasta recipe? You NEED to try these Easy Peanut Noodles as well as our 20 Minute Pesto Pasta, this Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta (also 20 minutes!), AND this Pasta Puttanesca.
Why you’ll love this family favorite recipe!
Even though this garlic butter noodles recipe is one that I make all of the time, I’ve never shared the recipe here. I think it just seemed too simple and basic. It’s SO good, though, and you definitely need to give it a try!
You can serve the noodles on their own but I highly recommend throwing some veggies in the oven and adding them on top. It makes such a well rounded meal. They’re even great for picky kids – my daughter always loves this meal (veggies and all)!
Why you’ll love this:
- One pan for the veggies, one pot for the noodles – minimal cleanup and nothing fussy about it.
- It solves decision fatigue – this is the kind of recipe you don’t have to think about. Garlic, butter, noodles, done.
- Filling without meat – the roasted veggies and parmesan round it out so nobody’s left wondering where the protein is.
- Endlessly flexible – swap in whatever veggies are in your fridge or whatever noodles you have on hand.
- Genuinely kid-approved – my daughter eats this one, veggies and all, no negotiating required.
Ingredients needed for garlic noodles
The ingredients for this recipe are listed fully down in the recipe card but let’s briefly go over the pantry staples needed including a few substitutions you can make as desired!
- Pasta – spaghetti noodles are my go-to here, but honestly any noodle works. We use gluten-free noodles often since my partner has a mild gluten intolerance.
- Butter – the real star of the dish, so reach for a good one like Kerrygold. Salted or unsalted both work, just adjust any additional salt to taste.
- Garlic – 6 cloves, finely minced. Use less if you’re garlic-shy, more if you’re like me and think there’s no such thing as too much.
- Zucchini, bell pepper, and cauliflower – my favorite roasted veggie combo for this dish, but truly any veggies you have on hand will work.
- Seasoning blend – Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder for the roasted veggies.
- Parmesan and fresh parsley – for topping. Totally optional but adds a nice finishing touch.
How to Make Butter Noodles
Just a reminder that you can find the FULL written recipe down in the recipe card, but I want to quickly go over how to make it with step-by-step photos :)
- Roast the veggies. THIS IS OPTIONAL! Toss the zucchini, bell pepper, and cauliflower with olive oil and your seasoning blend right on the sheet pan, then spread them out in a single layer. Roast until they’re tender and just starting to crisp at the edges – that’s where all the good flavor is.
- Make the garlic butter. While the veggies roast, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add in the minced garlic. Let it sauté for a couple of minutes, stirring often – you want it fragrant and just golden, not browned!
- Boil the noodles. According to package directions, cook your pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente, then drain it (but save a cup of pasta water first – you’ll want it in a second).
- Toss it all together. Add the drained noodles right into the garlic butter and toss to coat, splashing in reserved pasta water until everything’s glossy and clinging together. Serve it up with the roasted veggies, parmesan, and fresh herbs on top!
Store leftovers in an airtight container.
Recipe Tips
- Cook the pasta al dente. It’ll finish cooking a bit more once it hits the hot garlic butter, so don’t let it go soft in the pot.
- Always save your pasta water. That starchy water is what turns melted butter into an actual clingy sauce instead of just noodles with butter on them.
- Watch the garlic closely. It goes from fragrant to burnt fast – keep the heat at medium and stir often.
- Don’t skip the roasted veggies if you can help it. They turn this from a side dish into dinner, and the crispy edges are worth the extra 30 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Long noodles like spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine hold the garlic butter sauce especially well, but this recipe is forgiving – short pasta like penne or fusilli works too if that’s what’s in your pantry.
This usually means there wasn’t enough starchy pasta water added in. The starch is what binds the butter to the noodles instead of letting it pool at the bottom of the pot, so add it a splash at a time until the sauce looks glossy and clings to the pasta.
Adding a bit of pasta water in with the noodles and melted butter will combine with the butter to create a creamy, rich sauce and will also help the sauce to stick to the pasta.
Variations and substitutions
- Veggies: You can use whatever veggies you would like! I often throw other things in based on what’s in season and what I happen to have in the fridge that week.
- Spices: Feel free to change up the spices! The combo listed for roasting the vegetables is a favorite of mine, but I’ve also used curry spices and even taco seasoning.
- Make it vegan: Simply use a vegan butter and omit the parmesan cheese or use a plant-based alternative to make this vegan and dairy free.
- Add protein: If you’re not concerned with keeping this meal vegetarian, you can add chicken, shrimp or serve alongside salmon. Keep it vegetarian and still add protein with crispy baked tofu.
Garlic Butter Noodles
Ingredients
For the roasted veggies:
- 1 zucchini
- 1 bell pepper
- ½ head cauliflower
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon each of: Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder
For the noodles:
- 1 pound pasta
- 8 tablespoons butter, 1/2 cup
- 6 cloves garlic, finely minced
- Optional for topping: Parmesan or other cheese, fresh herbs
- Salt and pepper to taste, i used salted butter so only added a pinch of additional salt
Instructions
For the roasted veggies:
- Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Place the zucchini, bell pepper and cauliflower on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle on the salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder. Toss to combine and coat the veggies.
- Spread in an even layer and roast for 30-40 minutes, flipping halfway. I like my veggies to get a little crispy around the edges but feel free to roast for a little less time.
For the noodles:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta according to package instructions. Once done, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and drain the rest.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once it’s fully melted, add in the garlic and sauté, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Be sure not to let the garlic burn!
- Lower the heat to LOW and add in the noodles. Cook for 1 more minute, tossing the noodles in the garlic butter. Add in just enough of the reserved pasta water as need for desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve the noodles with the optional veggies, parmesan and herbs. ENJOY!
Notes
- Veggies: you can use whatever veggies you would like! I often throw other things in based on seasonality and what I happen to have in the fridge that week.
- Spices: use whatever you would like! The combo listed above is a favorite of mine but I’ve used curry spices before as well as taco seasoning.
- To make it vegan: simply use a vegan butter.
- Nutritional info: does not include the cheese
Cool completely before transferring to an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of water or broth to bring the sauce back to life. I don’t recommend freezing – the texture of the noodles suffers.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Just made this tonight and added broccoli, zucchini and red bell pepper. It was SO good. My whole family, including my picky toddler gobbled it up and wanted seconds. Thank you!
Delish! I roasted a whole extra head of garlic with the veggies (I really love garlic) and the dish was divine!