Garlic is a natural emulsifier – it helps oil and water combine – so mashing roasted garlic and mixing with olive oil, lemon, and pasta water makes for a thick, creamy sauce that coats the pasta wonderfully. It’s an almost invisible sauce but believe me, you’ll taste it. That garlic packs a punch. If you like garlic, you’ll love this roasted garlic pasta.

It’s a simple dish if you have roasted garlic already prepped but is otherwise a little time consuming. If you’re organised enough to plan your meals in advance (good on you) then you can roast the garlic in advance and keep it refrigerated until needed.

For big garlic fans I recommend my garlic pizza bread made with spelt flour, fantastic tahini garlic sauce, and garlic green beans. I could eat this pasta every day of the week but you do need to love the taste of garlic to enjoy it!

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Pasta: I almost always use einkorn or spelt pasta and prefer a long pasta like spaghetti or tagliatelle for this dish, but you could use a short type too. Use gluten-free pasta if needed.
• Olive oil: you will certainly taste the olive oil, so choose one that you like. I recommend something quite bold and peppery for an extra flavour boost.
• Chili pepper: optional, omit if you don’t like heat.

Step by Step

Step 1: mash the roasted garlic and add the olive oil, lemon, and seasoning.

Step 2: mix in the reserved pasta water.

Step 3: add the sauce to the drained pasta immediately.

Step 4: stir well to combine and serve.

Recipe Notes

Mash the garlic and get the sauce ready to the point where it only needs pasta water while the pasta is cooking. You don’t want to leave your cooked pasta in the strainer or drying out in the pot while making the sauce.

I always roast a head or two of garlic while I’m baking something else, and then keep it refrigerated to use in recipes like this, or beetroot hummus, to mix into salad dressings, and so on.

How to Store

Storage: the dressed pasta can be kept in a sealed container in the refrigerator for a day or two, and reheated with a splash of water. It isn’t as good after being stored and the pasta will absorb some of the sauce.

Freezing: this recipe doesn’t freeze well. Freeze roasted garlic instead and thaw when needed to make the pasta fresh.

Expert Tips

• Season to taste: first, be sure to season the pasta water well, and adjust the amount of salt in the garlic sauce as needed to suit your preference. Reduce if adding any cheese.
• Stir very well: you could even get a whisk out, but a good mix with a fork will do the trick. The garlic needs to be very well mashed and the oil emulsified to make a smooth sauce – otherwise it will separate.
• Don’t forget the pasta water: it’s necessary to further thicken the sauce and will help it to adhere to the pasta.

More Pasta Recipes

Hummus Pasta
Quick Garlic Spinach Pasta
Vegan Pasta Bake
Green Pasta