Plan your next date night dinner at home with these easy-to-make, yet impressive recipes. You'll find a collection of pasta date night recipes, seafood recipes, vegetarian recipes, and a few drinks and desserts to complete your feast!
Fill a large stockpot with water and a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and add fettuccine noodles, cooking a few minutes under package directions.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter on low heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant, stirring frequently so it doesn't burn. Keep the heat low!
Increase the heat to medium and whisk in the half-and-half; add half of the salt and pepper. Simmer for 1-2 minutes, then add 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Simmer for an additional 2-3 minutes until slightly reduced.
Add the grated parmesan cheese and the remaining butter, whisking until smooth and combined. Test the sauce for salt levels, adding more as needed.
Add the pasta into the sauce and toss to combine. Let the pasta simmer for 1-2 minutes until al dente. If the sauce is too thick (which may be the case especially if you used heavy cream), add additional pasta water 1-2 tablespoons at a time to loosen, stirring between each addition.
Serve immediately. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley as desired.
Notes
Forgot to take your half-and-half out of the fridge when you started cooking? Put it in the microwave for 15-20 seconds. You want it to be lukewarm/room temperature so it doesn't shock up when you put it in the skillet.
Reheating? I don't recommend it, but if you need to, I recommend reserving a bit of the pasta water and reheating it with 2-4 tablespoons of the pasta water on the stove over low-medium heat until heated through and the sauce has loosened.
Possible add-ins: chicken, shrimp, or broccoli. See the blog post for more ideas!