Lazy Girl Three-Ingredient Pasta (Printable)

A creamy pasta with butter and Parmesan, whipped up quickly for a satisfying meal anytime.

# What You’ll 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)

# How To Make It:

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 using a colander.
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 about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss vigorously until a creamy sauce forms, adding more water as needed to reach desired consistency.
05 - Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve immediately, optionally topped with extra Parmesan cheese.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in under 20 minutes, making it perfect for nights when you need dinner, not a project.
  • The sauce is genuinely creamy without cream—just butter, cheese, and starch doing their thing together.
  • Three ingredients means you're not hunting through the pantry or second-guessing substitutions; it's all you need.
02 -
  • The heat must be off when you add the butter and cheese—too much direct heat and the butter breaks, the cheese clumps, and you lose that creamy texture that makes this special.
  • Pasta water is not a backup plan; it's the secret ingredient that does most of the work, so don't skip reserving it or use cold water as a substitute.
03 -
  • Grate the Parmesan fresh and do it right before cooking—the oils oxidize quickly once exposed, and you want its flavor clear and bright.
  • If your pasta breaks apart or becomes mushy, it's usually because you didn't reserve enough pasta water or you added it all at once; next time, add it in splashes, tossing and feeling the texture shift.
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