Angel Hair Pasta with Garlic and Herbs is heavenly! This flavor-packed, 15 minute side dish is made completely with fridge and pantry staples.
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The recipe for Angel Hair Pasta with Garlic and Herbs comes with a warning:
Try not to eat the ENTIRE THING before scooping it next to the protein and vegetable of your choice because — WOW WOW WOW — this easy, 15 minute side dish is completely irresistible!
Pasta Packet Copycat
This idea for this seriously delicious swirly dish came from a reader who asked for a homemade version of his favorite Pasta Roni pasta packet side (say that 5 times fast): Angel Hair Pasta with Herbs. My answer?
Heck yes I can hack that!
Then I upgraded it to not only include dried herbs and fresh garlic, but parmesan cheese too, all swirled together to create a creamy (no heavy cream required) side dish recipe that is totallygoing to steal the show at dinner tonight. If you love the convenience of pasta packet or box sides, but not the ingredient list, this dish is for you.
Ingredients Needed
I love that we always have the ingredients needed for Angel Hair Pasta with Garlic and Herbs on hand. Since I rarely have fresh herbs beyond cilantro or parsley on hand, I rely on the pantry and spice cupboard to create this dish. Here’s the lineup:
- Gluten Free Angel Hair Pasta. Angel hair pasta, sometimes called cappellini, is super thin strands of pasta. My kids love this cut of pasta because its fun and a little different than standard elbows or spaghetti. If you don’t need to eat GF, you can use regular angel hair pasta. I use Ronzoni gluten free “thin spaghetti”.
- Aromatics: Fresh shallot and garlic give this easy pasta side dish tons and tons of flavor. I tested using onion and garlic powders instead, but the texture of the final dish was a little gritty once paired with the dried herbs. Fresh is best for these particular ingredients.
- Dried Herbs:Dried basil, parsley, chives, and rosemary provide theherbportion of the garlic and herb angel hair pasta. The only special note here is to crush the dried rosemary as finely as possible between your fingertips before adding to avoid big woody pieces in the final dish.
- Butter and Parmesan Cheese:butter and freshly grated parmesan cheese add decadence and lots of flavor to the angel hair pasta. Be sure to use freshly grated parmesan cheese vs powdered or pre-grated. Freshly grated using a microplane will melt into the sauce, while the other two will clump.
- Pasta Cooking Water:Love when the byproduct of cooking one of the ingredients creates another one! Pasta cooking water is what I use to create a luscious, silky sauce for this side dish. Reserve the pasta water once the angel hair pasta is finished cooking then stir into the dish to create a creamy, lick your plate worthy sauce. SO GOOD.
What to Serve With This Recipe
Ok YES, FINE I’ve eaten this angel hair pasta all on its own as a meal, but if you want to serve it as intended, ie a side dish, pair it with the protein and vegetable of your choice. I happen to think it’d serve wonderfully with:
- Sauteed or roasted shrimp
- Air Fryer Chicken Breast
- Pan seared steaks
- Italian Mini Meatloaves
Ready to get in on this divine concoction?!
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1: Cook the Pasta
Start by bringing a large pot of water to a boil, then add gluten free angel hair pasta (or regular if you don’t need to eat GF) – again, I use Ronzoni “thin spaghetti”. Cook until the angel hair is just shy of al dente, as it will continue to cook in the skillet with the garlic and herbs. DO NOT DRAIN the pasta once it’s done cooking!
Step 2: Make the Garlic Herb Sauce
Meanwhile, on a burner next door, melt butter in a large skillet over heat that’s just a touch above medium. Add mincedshallot and pressed or minced garlic cloves then saute until the shallot is tender and the garlic is deliciously fragrant.
Next add a combination of dried parsley, dried chives, dried basil, dried rosemary, and salt to the skillet and stir to combine.
Step 3: Transfer the Pasta to the Skillet
If the angel hair noodles still have a minute or two to cook, take the skillet OFF the heat so the garlic doesn’t burn, but if the pasta is ready to rock, use tongs to transfer it directly into the skillet with the garlic herb mixture, reserving the pasta cooking water in the pot.
Last step is to add freshly grated parmesan cheese then start ladling the reserved pasta water into the skillet a little at a time, stirring with tongs or a spatula to create a light and silky sauce. I usually add between 1/2 – 3/4 cup pasta water total.
That’s all she wrote! Scoop the angel hair pasta onto plates with the protein and vegetable of your choice, then go to town! I hope you love each and every drop of this heavenly, creamy angel hair pasta recipe that tastes just like the pasta packet…but better! Enjoy!
More Easy Side Dish Recipes
- Creamy Garlic Shells
- Air Fryer Asparagus
- Garlic Butter Roasted Mushrooms
- The BEST Pasta Salad
- Easy Cheddar Cheese Sauce for Vegetables
- Mediterranean Orzo Salad
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Angel Hair Pasta with Garlic and Herbs (Pasta Packet Copycat!)
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gluten freevegetarian
4.5/5 (9 REVIEWS)
Description
Angel Hair Pasta with Garlic and Herbs is heavenly! This flavor-packed, 15 minute side dish is made completely with fridge and pantry staples.
Ingredients
serves 3-4
- 4oz gluten free angel hair pasta
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 small shallot, minced (~2 Tablespoons)
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- slightly rounded 1/2 teaspoon dried chives
- slightly rounded 1/2teaspoon dried parsley
- slightly rounded 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed between your fingertips
- salt, to taste
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (NOT powdered or pre-grated)
Directions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil then add angel hair pasta and cook until it's just shy of al dente (pasta will continue to cook slightly in the skillet with the herb butter) - DO NOT DRAIN.
- Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over heat that's a touch above medium then add shallots and saute until tender, 3-4 minutes. Add garlic then saute until extremely fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Add dried chives, parsley, basil, rosemary, and salt then stir to combine.
- Use tongs to transfer cooked angel hair pasta from the cooking pot to the skillet then add parmesan cheese and a scoop of pasta cooking water (~1/4 cup) and then start stirring with tongs or a spatula. Continue to stir, adding pasta cooking water as needed, until a light and silky sauce has formed around the pasta. Don't be afraid to keep adding the pasta cooking water - it will not dilute the flavor of the dish!
- Scoop angel hair pasta onto plates then serve.
Notes
- Be sure to break up the dried rosemary as finely as possible using your fingertips so you don't get large, hard pieces of the dried herb in your angel hair pasta.
- I do not recommend using powdered or pre-grated parmesan cheese for this dish, as it will clump vs creating a light and silky sauce. Freshly grate a wedge of parmesan cheese using a microplane so the cheese melts into the pasta.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
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26 Comments
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Good copycat recipe that made a nice creamy and flavorful pasta dish. The family enjoyed it and there were no leftovers. Thank you.
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I never comment on recipes. But I had to for this one.I have been sincerely missing Pasta Roni’s craptacular awesomeness ever since gluten intolerance blessed me with its companionship. I was so excited to try this!Naturally, I tripled this recipe and made a whole box of GF pasta. Served it with the air fryer chicken (another iowa girl eats yumfest!) It was a fun, lighter springtime version of chicken and pasta. Everyone was happy. Even my son who hates everything.Can’t thank you enough, Kristin!
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I love this recipe as it is so easy to make and my entire family loves it! We had it tonight with steak and it paired perfectly.
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Tried this dish as a fun Saturday night meal vs the typical pasta and sauce option and WOW, the entire family including kids loved it! They all went back for seconds! Thank you for an easy and very flavorful recipe!
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Thrilled to hear it, Bessie! It’s a family favorite here too!
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See AlsoEasy Grinch Cookies Recipe
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Wow how great! And can easily be gf/df. And you are using some pasta water which usually have shed vitamins from the pasta. If they have any. Thanks for making simple majorly family friendly recipes. My grands will love it.
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I’ve been buying the Pasta Roni lately because it’s been on sale and I’ve been kinda lazy. I knew there had to be a copycat recipe and so glad I found yours! It’s super easy and delicious! I did end up using the pre-grated Parmesan since that’s all I had and it worked well enough. 5 stars from my picky 5 yr old, too!
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This was part of our supper last night and it was a hit! The Parmesan melted with the hot cooking water was a lovely, light sauce!
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Loved this! I used vegan butter and a vegan parmesan cheese powder. I used an extra tablespoon of butter and added the cheese to the mixture before I added the noodles and I didn’t have any issues with it clumping. Will definitely be adding this to my meal list!
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Ooooh this looks so good and easy! I’ll admit that the 4 cheese rice a roni is my guilty pleasure/weakness. If this is a continue series, that it has my vote for next up :D
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This was a hit with my whole (8-person!) family! Thanks for your great recipes! I made it dairy-free using Violife Parmesan, and it was so yummy!
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hi, i'm kristin!
I’m a Midwestern wife and Mama, and after being diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2013 I began sharing delicious and approachable gluten-free recipes made with everyday, in-season ingredients. Welcome!
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