One-Pot Roasted Garlic Pasta
While roasting garlic can typically take close to an hour, this creamy pasta captures those sweet, nutty, mellow flavors in just 35 minutes, no roasting required. To replicate the toastiness, the process starts by gently frying the cloves in olive oil until they develop a golden-brown exterior. Because garlic can burn easily, you’ll want to keep the sizzle slow and steady and ensure the cloves are in near-constant motion. Simmering the fried garlic in water delivers two things: the characteristic roasted garlic tenderness and a flavorful stock, which becomes your base for the fragrant pasta sauce. A splash of cream and a drizzle of garlic-infused olive oil are incorporated into the starch-heavy pasta water for an irresistibly silky sauce from just a handful of ingredients. Watch Carolina Gelen make this dish in this video.
Ingredients
- 2garlic heads (25 cloves or so), peeled
- ⅓ cupextra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoonssalt, plus more to taste
- 1 poundshells or cavatappi
- ½ cupheavy cream
Directions
- 1
Set aside one garlic clove for later. Place a sieve over a heatproof measuring cup and set aside.
- 2
In a medium (3- to 4-quart) pot over medium heat, combine the oil and the remaining garlic cloves. Once the oil starts sizzling, reduce the heat to low and fry, stirring frequently, until the garlic develops a golden-brown exterior, about 8 minutes, occasionally basting the garlic to ensure uniform color. Pour the garlic into the sieve and reserve the garlic-infused oil.
- 3
To the same pot, add the fried garlic, 5 cups of water and the salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the garlic to a cutting board. Using the back of a knife, carefully crush the cloves into a fine paste. To the boiling water, add the pasta and garlic paste. Cook over high, stirring frequently, until pasta is al dente, which is often about 3 minutes fewer than what the packaging specifies. The water should be reduced by about half at this point.
- 4
Finely grate the remaining raw garlic clove. To the pot, add the grated garlic, garlic-infused oil and cream. Mix until the liquid emulsifies into a thin, brothy sauce and pasta is cooked through. Taste and season with salt, as needed. The sauce will thicken as the pasta rests for a minute or two.