Lazy Girl Three Ingredient Pasta (Printable)

Creamy butter and Parmesan pasta ready swiftly with a touch of pasta water for texture and flavor.

# 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:

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

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's genuinely faster than ordering takeout, and tastes better than most creamy pastas that demand a grocery list.
  • You probably already have everything on hand, which means dinner happens without the mental burden of meal planning.
  • The simplicity somehow makes it feel fancy—like you've figured out a secret.
02 -
  • The pasta water does the heavy lifting—that starch is what makes the sauce creamy, not cream, so don't skip capturing it.
  • Don't let the pasta sit on the heat while you're mixing; the carryover heat is plenty, and you want to move fast so everything comes together while it's hot.
03 -
  • Grate your Parmesan fresh every single time; it makes the difference between a silky sauce and something grainy and disappointing.
  • Keep the heat off once the pasta is back in the pot—the residual warmth is all you need, and it gives you better control over the emulsion.
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