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    Home » Recipes » Pasta

    Herby Garlic Butter Pasta Sauce

    Published: Mar 22, 2019, Last updated: Mar 22, 2019 by Emily This post may contain affiliate links.

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    A collage image of garlic butter pasta sauce with spaghetti

    Incredibly simple, fast and delicious Garlic Butter Pasta Sauce made with fresh herbs and tossed with your favourite long pasta. This sauce doesn't get any easier and is ready by the time your pasta is cooked!

    An overhead shot of spaghetti with garlic butter pasta sauce and herbs

    This herby garlic butter pasta sauce is another super simple recipe that's ready by the time the pasta is cooked and you all know I'm all for super quick weeknight meals, I mean, aren't we all?

    Cooking with Fresh Herbs

    You won't believe how much flavour is packed into this punchy little sauce. It's made with chives, parsley, basil, oregano, sage, mint, thyme and lemon thyme. Whaaaat? so many herbs!

    Yup and they're all fresh which is a super important rule for this sauce, no dried herbs please, the flavour is nowhere near as intense and you'll want all of the freshness in this sauce!

    It's also tossed with garlic butter, I mean, is there anything better on earth than garlic butter? No, sir!

    How to Make Herby Garlic Butter Pasta Sauce - Step by Step

    Add all the herbs to a food processor with juice and zest of half a lemon, olive oil, pecorino and a small pinch of salt and pepper. Blitz until combined (photos 1 - 3).

    Add butter and oil to medium sized skillet (frying pan) and heat until butter has melted. Add the garlic and fry for 1-2 minutes until soft but not browned (photos 4-5).

    Step by step photos for making herby garlic butter pasta sauce with spaghetti

    Add the herb mixture and stir to combine, cook for 1 minute then add reserved pasta water, cook for another minute (photos 6-7).

    Add cooked pasta, toss until evenly coated in the sauce and serve with more freshly grated pecorino (photo 8).

    Two process shot of tossing spaghetti with herb garlic butter pasta sauce

    Can I Make it Creamy?

    Yes, if you'd rather make a creamy garlic butter pasta sauce then I recommend cutting the butter by half and adding around ¾ cup (180mls) of heavy cream. Bring it to a boil for 30-40 seconds until it starts to thicken then turn off the heat. 

    Toss with pasta for a rich and decadent version of this.

    Looking for no herbs and more garlic? omit all the herbs and double the garlic for a delicious garlic kick!

    Can I use Garlic Powder?

    Noooo, garlic powder has a totally different taste to it and it just won't give you results anywhere near what you'll get with fresh garlic. That doesn't mean you can't use it but just know that you'll be breaking my heart, kay?

    Other Ways to Use this Garlic Butter Sauce

    The best thing about this sauce is that it can be used in so many other ways be it with pasta or not, here are some ideas on how to adapt this recipe and make it your own:

    • Add seafood: you can either toss in some shrimp (prawns), mussels, clams or even some calamari or squid and toss it with a long pasta such as spaghetti, linguine or tagliatelle for an impressive seafood meal.
    • Add chicken: as a rule, I never eat chicken with pasta. After living in Italy it just feels wrong to me but I know that it's much loved by many so if you fancy adding chicken to your pasta, go ahead it will taste delicious with this sauce. Alternatively, you could just serve the sauce over chicken and serve it with roast potatoes or grilled veggies instead of pasta. Now that's something I'm all for!
    • Toss with potatoes: one of my favourite ways to serve potatoes is boiled and crushed into a rough mash and mixed with lots of olive oil and fresh lemon juice, so delicious. You could use this sauce in the same way and they would just taste insane, really.
    • Gratin: why not slice potatoes super thin using a mandoline or food processor and pour over the garlic butter, bake in the oven until soft and cooked through, delish!
    • Steak: there's no doubt about it that this garlic butter pasta sauce would also be incredible poured over a juicy chargrilled steak (off to make this right now).

    A side shot of spaghetti with garlic butter pasta sauce and herbs

    Extra Helpful Tips

    • Make sure your pasta water is boiling before adding the pasta and well salted (unsalted pasta water is a big no-no for flavour).
    • Make sure to not overcook your pasta of choice, follow the packet instructions until it's al dente. For 400g or 14oz of spaghetti or linguine, I cook it for around 8-9 minutes.
    • Don't be tempted to use dried herbs, this isn't a recipe that just requires a little sprinkle of herbs it uses a lot, they're the main focus and they need to be fresh.
    • Make sure not to burn the garlic or it'll turn bitter. Cook it for 1-2 minutes until soft but not browned.

    More Quick Pasta Recipes You Might Like:

    • Penne with Creamy Gorgonzola Sauce
    • Pasta With Puttanesca Sauce (Spaghetti Alla Puttanesca)
    • Pasta Amatriciana – Bucatini, Tomato And Guanciale
    • Pasta With Artichokes And Peas
    • Smoked Salmon Pasta Carbonara

    If you’ve tried this Herby Garlic Butter Pasta Sauce or any other recipe on the blog please let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW MEon FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.

    Step By Step Photos AboveMost of our recipes come with step by step photos, helpful tips and tricks to make it perfectly first time and even video!
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    A square image of spaghetti with herby garlic butter pasta sauce
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    5 from 2 votes

    Herby Garlic Butter Pasta Sauce

    Incredibly simple, fast and super delicious Garlic Butter Pasta Sauce made with fresh herbs and tossed with your favourite long pasta. This sauce doesn't get any easier and is ready by the time your pasta is cooked!
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Italian
    Prep Time 5 minutes
    Cook Time 10 minutes
    Total Time 15 minutes
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 575kcal
    Author Emily Kemp

    Ingredients

    • 14 oz (400g) long pasta such as spaghetti or linguine
    • 2 cups (40g) fresh basil
    • 2 tablespoon fresh chives
    • 1 cup fresh parsley
    • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
    • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon thyme
    • 2 tablespoon fresh mint
    • 1 tablespoon fresh oregano
    • 1 tablespoon fresh sage
    • 2 tbsp (30g) Butter
    • 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
    • 4 tablespoon Pecorino freshly grated
    • 3 tablespoon Olive oil
    • Zest and juice of half a lemon
    • Salt and pepper
    • â…“ cup (80ml) reserved pasta water

    Instructions

    • Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to packet instructions until al dente,
    • Meanwhile, add all the herbs to a food processor with juice and zest of half a lemon, olive oil, 3 tablespoon pecorino and a small pinch of salt and pepper. Blitz until combined.
    • Add butter and oil to medium sized skillet (frying pan) and heat until butter has melted. Add the garlic and fry for 1-2 minutes until soft but not browned.
    • Add the herb mixture and stir to combine, cook for 1 minute then add â…“ of pasta water, cook for another minute.
    • Add cooked pasta, toss until evenly coated in the sauce and serve with more freshly grated pecorino.

    Notes

    Extra Tips for Making This Sauce

    • Make sure your pasta water is boiling before adding the pasta and well salted (unsalted pasta water is a big no no for flavour).
    • Make sure to not overcook your pasta of choice, follow the packet instructions until it's al dente. For 400g or 14oz of spaghetti or linguine I cook it for around 8-9 minutes.
    • Don't be tempted to use dried herbs, this isn't a recipe that just requires a little sprinkle of herbs it uses a lot, they're the main focus and they need to be fresh.
    • Make sure not to burn the garlic or it'll turn bitter. Cook it for 1-2 minutes until soft but not browned.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 575kcal | Carbohydrates: 80g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 133mg | Potassium: 690mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 7995IU | Vitamin C: 47.9mg | Calcium: 348mg | Iron: 7.3mg
    Helpful Info for All Recipes
    • I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
    • When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
    • All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
    • All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
    • Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
    • Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
    • You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
    Did you try this recipe?Mention @insidetherustickitchen or tag #insidetherustickitchen! We'd love you see what you're getting up to in the kitchen!

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      Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage and Brown Butter Sauce
    • An overhead shot of shrimp spaghetti in a rustic bowl sitting on a wooden surface with a glass of white wine at the side.
      Shrimp Spaghetti with 'Nduja and Lemon
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      Orecchiette with 'Nduja Sugo

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jamie Scarlett

      March 23, 2019 at 5:55 pm

      What a yummy recipe, simple but packed with flavours, the best tip for me was not to be tempted to use the dried herbs. All to often when after a herb flavour the use of dried just doesn't cut it. Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipes 😊5 stars

      Reply
      • Inside the rustic kitchen

        March 23, 2019 at 7:15 pm

        Hi Jamie, so happy you found the tips helpful. Thanks so much for stopping by!

        Reply
    2. Monica | Nourish + Fete

      March 22, 2019 at 8:41 pm

      Emily, this looks delicious and I LOVE the video! You're rocking it!!5 stars

      Reply
      • Inside the rustic kitchen

        March 23, 2019 at 7:14 pm

        Aw thank you so much Monica, so nice of you!

        Reply

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