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The Ultimate Parmesan Pasta! Pasta ribbons are tossed with butter, olive oil, black pepper and lots of parmesan for an incredibly simple comfort food recipe that’s ready in 15 minutes.
Parmesan Pasta in Italy
One of the most memorable meals I’ve ever had was this simple, rustic pasta dish….say what?
I was once served ribbons of mafalde pasta in a WHOLE parmesan wheel. They scraped the cheese with two forks so all the crumbs covered the pasta and then it was served on my plate.
Hello, best freaking cheesy pasta I’ve ever tasted!
It was incredible, strong, salty and buttery cheese with perfectly cooked al dente ribbons of pasta. It’s now my go-to cheesy pasta dish and you can make it at home sooo easily (minus the whole cheese wheel).
How to Make the Ultimate Parmesan Pasta – Step By Step
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and boil according to packet instructions until al dente. Meanwhile, grate the parmesan with a fork to resemble large crumbs, it doesn’t matter if there are some larger crumbs (photos 1 & 2).
Add the butter and olive oil to a large bowl. Once the pasta is cooked transfer it from the boiling water with a spaghetti spoon or tongs to the bowl (photo 3).
Toss the pasta in the butter and olive oil until it’s completely coated and the butter has melted. Once the butter is melted add the parmesan. Toss the pasta until evenly coated add a pinch of black pepper and serve (photo 4).
Can I use Pecorino?
I recommend using Parmigiano Reggiano not your regular parmesan or Pecorino. Parmigiano Reggiano has such a high-quality flavour and has the perfect salty, buttery flavour that this pasta needs.
You could use Pecorino if you really wanted but I find it a bit too salty to enjoy in this way.
Prepping Ahead and How to Store Leftovers
The great thing about this pasta recipe is that it’s still incredibly delicious cold especially because all of the cheese doesn’t melt. I’ve often made this for lunch on the go or picnics. You may need to a drizzle of oil to loosen it once cooled but just pop it into your container and eat within 1 day.
Important Tips to Make this Recipe Perfectly
- I like to remove the pasta with a spaghetti spoon or tongs instead of draining it so there’s a little pasta water to help emulsify the sauce and add extra flavour.
- If possible grate the parmesan like I’ve shown in the step by step photos with a fork so it resembles coarse crumbs. I’ve found this recipe is 10x better when I do this just like they served it in Italy. Some of the cheese melts and some stays in little chunks giving you the ultimate cheesy hit!
- Black pepper is a must, the peppery kick cuts through the rich cheese.
- I recommend using a long pasta shape if you can’t find Mafalde I’d use tagliatelle or spaghetti.
More Simple Pasta Recipes You Might Like:
- Farfalle pasta with pancetta, chili and garlic
- Bucatini with roasted red pepper cream sauce
- Speck and mushroom pappardelle
If you’ve tried this Easy Parmesan Pasta 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 ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
Step By Step Photos Above
Most of our recipes come with step by step photos, helpful tips and tricks to make it perfectly first time and even video!
Easy Parmesan Pasta with Butter and Pepper
Ingredients
- 13 oz mafalde pasta ribbons, (380g)
- 1 cups parmesan cheese, (100g)
- 1/2 tbsp butter, (knob of butter)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and boil according to packet instructions until al dente. Meanwhile, grate the parmesan with a fork to resemble large crumbs (it doesn't matter if there are some larger crumbs)
- Add the butter and olive oil to a large bowl. Once the pasta is cooked transfer it from the boiling water with a spaghetti spoon to the bowl draining off any excess water.
- Toss the pasta in the butter and olive oil until it's completely coated and the butter has melted. Leave the pasta to cool for 30 seconds to 1 minute then add the parmesan. Toss the pasta until evenly coated add a pinch of black pepper and serve.
Notes
- I like to remove the pasta with a spaghetti spoon instead of draining it so there's a little pasta water to help emulsify the sauce and add extra flavour.
- If possible grate the parmesan like I've shown in the step by step photos with a fork so it resembles coarse crumbs. I've found this recipe is 10x better when I do this just like they served it in Italy. Some of the cheese melts and some stays in little chunks giving you the ultimate cheesy hit!
- Black pepper is a must, the peppery kick cuts through the rich cheese.
- I recommend using a long pasta shape if you can't find Mafalde I'd use tagliatelle or spaghetti.
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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
An effortlessly delicious dish. Thank you!
P.S I only had regular Parm on hand and it still turned out amazing. Will try your recommendations in the future!
Thanks
I loved this dish! So effortless and turned out amazing. I will be making this again.
Also, I used regular parmesan not Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano as recommended. In the future, I will try the recommended cheeses.
Thanks for sharing 🙂
One of my favorite pasta dishes ever! I love how simple it is.
I want to make this tomorrow! (it’s midnight now) But it definitely looks like Amazon’s the only place I’ll be able to get this Mafaldine pasta. AND tomorrow’s a holiday in the US, AND, they don’t offer same day shipping on it. So, I can’t get it until Wednesday 🙁
#firstworldproblems
Hahaha oh noo! Hope you enjoy it when it comes 😀
I think there is an error in your recipe… You say to “Toss the pasta in the butter and PARMESAN until it’s completely coated and the butter has melted. Leave the pasta to cool for 1 minute then add the PARMESAN. … Did you possibly mean to toss the paster in butter and OLIVE OIL until its completely coated, leave to cool and then add the PARMESAN?
Hi, yes you’re totally right I typed that up wrong. Thanks so much for pointing that out, I’ve updated the recipe.
Very good, I would let the pasta cool for five minutes to ensure the che.paremsan does not completely melt into the hot sauce. Also added more pepper, red pepper flakes and a small amount of the pasta water. Overall, great recipe!
I can only imagine how amazing it was eating this while in Italy! Sometimes the simplest of dishes are the best.
I can totally understand how such a simple dish can taste so amazing that you remember it for the rest of your life (I’m sure you’ll never forget it)! That’s why recipes that include 20 ingredients and have 10 herbs and spices and are entitled “Italian” make my blood pressure go sky high! Grrr…
This is the real thing, people! THIS is Italian food!
P.S. You have to tell me the name of the restaurant if you remember! 🙂