Lazy Girl Three Ingredient Pasta (Printable Version)

Quickly prepare creamy pasta using butter, Parmesan, and reserved pasta water for sauce.

# 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

# Step-by-Step:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente according to package directions.
02 - Reserve approximately 2/3 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
03 - Return hot pasta to the pot off the heat. Add butter and toss until melted and pasta is evenly coated.
04 - Sprinkle in Parmesan cheese and add 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss vigorously to form a creamy sauce, 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.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It takes less time than ordering delivery, and tastes infinitely better.
  • Watching butter and cheese transform into silky sauce feels like kitchen magic every single time.
  • You probably already have everything sitting in your fridge right now.
02 -
  • The pasta water is everything—without it, you'll end up with separated, greasy noodles instead of creamy sauce, and that's the moment you'll understand why this step matters.
  • Timing is your friend here; once the cheese goes in, you're working against the clock, so have everything ready and your pasta still hot before you start the final tossing.
03 -
  • If the sauce ever breaks and looks separated, add another splash of pasta water and toss more vigorously—the starch will bring it back together almost instantly.
  • Keep everything hot from the moment the pasta drains until the moment it hits the plate; temperature is doing half the work here.
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