If you’re a garlic cream sauce lovin’ person like I am, this 30 minute creamy garlic spaghetti is sure to be a regular on your dinner table.
I have to admit early on in the blog: I love garlic. I love finding excuses to add it to my recipes. My boyfriend loves to find excuses to double what I’ve added – but I don’t love garlic that much. So, don’t worry – although I love garlic, I’m not trying to overwhelm anyone with mega-garlic breath.
This is one of my favorite quick weeknight meals. Not just because it has garlic! I love that there’s a million and one ways to make this recipe your own. You can saute up any veggies you have leftover in the fridge, such as mushrooms or asparagus. Want to up the protein? Just pair with breaded tofu for a complimentary crunch.
Saute your veggies of choice for about 8 minutes on medium high heat. I like them best when they’re slightly softened and just a lil bit browned.
This cream sauce is really just your basic roux: fat (olive oil), flour, and milk (non-dairy, of course). As with every roux, constant stirring is important. Everybody’s had that clumpy, bumpy gravy before, and let’s be honest – it’s not great. Every home cook falls victim to the clumpy gravy from time to time, but it’s pretty easy to prevent: stir, stir, stir!
As long as you slowly pour in your milk and keep whiskin’ away, you should be able to prevent the clumps. Stir around the edge of the pan every so often to prevent a hard film from forming. After the initial boiling bubbles form, turn the heat down to medium low, which prevents the sauce from evaporating too much.
If you find that your sauce is too thick, don’t fear! Just pour in a tiny bit of milk at a time, stirring all the while.
Once your sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon without sliding off, you’re good to go. Throw in your veggies and pasta and get to eating!
- 12 oz spaghetti, cooked per box instructions
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
- 1 zucchini, cut in half moons
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 cups soy milk, or other non-dairy milk
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- ground black pepper
Prepare spaghetti (or other preferred pasta) according to package instructions.
Heat 1 tsp olive oil in pan over medium high heat. Saute bell pepper and zucchini for ~8 minutes, or until slightly softened and browned. Set aside.
Heat 1/4 cup oil in medium sized skilled over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute, careful to avoid burning the garlic.
Add in flour, stirring continuously with a whisk. Stir until lightly browned, ~1 minute.
Slowly pour in nondairy milk, stirring continuously with a whisk. Once the sauce reaches a slow boil, lower the heat to a simmer. Continue stirring on medium-low until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon without sliding off.
Just before serving, quickly whisk in lemon juice to the garlic sauce. Season with salt and ground black pepper, to taste. Combine sauce, veggies, spaghetti, and enjoy!
Notes
As this recipe is really just a basic roux with garlic, there’s a lot of ways to pizzazz it up even more. Throw in some mushrooms and exchange 1/2 cup non-dairy milk for a red wine for a more sophisticated taste. Or mix the creamy garlic sauce with equal parts red pasta sauce for a vodka sauce.
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