Recipe: Creamy Garlic One-Pot Pasta

By Najma Mohamed

Cost per serving: ~£1.50 | Serves: 2 | Time: 20 mins

This indulgent garlic pasta is your ideal one-pan dish—when you crave comfort food but do not want to part with too much cash. With minimal preparation, a few cupboard staples, and only one pan to wash up, it's a star for student nights. And in addition to all of this, you can get as creative as you desire with mix-ins like spinach, mushrooms, or even add a splash of spice using chilli flakes.

Ingredients

200g pasta (any type you would like)

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp olive oil

300ml milk (dairy or non-dairy its up to you!)

1 vegetable stock cube

1 tsp dried mixed herbs (or your choice of any dried herbs)

2 tbsp cream cheese or soft cheese

Salt & pepper to add to the taste

Steps

1)Sauté the garlic: Heat the olive oil in a deep pan over medium heat. Pour in the minced garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, until golden and fragrant (not too long that it burns, i’ve made that mistake before). 

2)Add the pasta: Add your pasta, followed by the milk, stock cube, and dried herbs. Stir the whole thing together, covering the pasta evenly.

3)Simmer and cook: Simmer the mixture over low heat, stirring occasionally. The pasta will cook in the milk and soak up all of the flavors. Keep an eye on it, dont be shy to add more milk if the mixture is getting too thick before the pasta is done (this will take 10–12 minutes).

4)Stir in the cream cheese: When the pasta is cooked and the milk is soaked up, stir in the cheese of you choosing. Mix well, so the cheese melts into a creamy sauce.

5)Season and serve: Serve hot and taste, and season with pepper and salt to your taste. A bit of additional heat can be added by sprinkling with freshly cracked black pepper or chilli flakes. Serve hot and enjoy the creamy goodness!

This recipe is very simple and versatile, meaning you can add anything you would like to personalise this to you. Great for lazy nights when you just want something quick, yummy, and comforting.