This easy angel hair pasta recipe is comfort food on a plate! Capellini (aka angel hair) is coated in a creamy sauce made with Italian olive oil, cream, and garlic, with fresh herbs and grated Parmesan cheese finishing the dish to perfection.
It's quick (just ten minutes!), delicious, and the perfect easy recipe for busy weeknights! It's also great as a simple side dish for garlic butter chicken, or honey glazed air fryer salmon.
This creamy pasta recipe is a regular in our house (even the picky eaters love it), and is perfect for an easy dinner! It's so simple to make, but packs a real punch in flavour!
Use whatever fresh herbs you have. I like a mixture of parsley and basil!
👩🍳 Love creamy pasta recipes? You'll also love this creamy sweet potato pasta too!
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
- Quick and easy pasta recipe
- Serve as a light main course, or side dish for chicken, salmon or vegetables.
- Vary the herbs depending what's in your garden/fridge
- Add in cooked chicken, smoked salmon, or roasted vegetables for a heartier meal.
What is angel hair pasta
Angel hair pasta, otherwise known as capellini, is an extra-thin pasta sold in long strands. Basically, it's a skinny version of spaghetti and because it's so thin, it cooks really quickly!
If you can't find it, you can substitute it with vermicelli, which is only slightly thicker, but still much thinner than regular spaghetti!
🛒 Ingredient notes
- Angel Hair Pasta - also known as capellini. You can substitute with vermicelli, which is only slightly thicker. Use wholewheat pasta if you prefer.
- Olive Oil - if you have extra-virgin olive oil, use that!
- Butter - unsalted is best.
- Garlic - 2 cloves, peeled and chopped finely. If you really love garlic, use 3 cloves!
- Double Cream (heavy cream) - for a lighter dish use creme fraiche.
- Herbs - fresh basil and fresh parsley. You could use other soft fresh herbs such as dill!
- Parmesan - freshly grated.
🔪 How to make creamy angel hair pasta
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
One: In a frying pan or large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter until the butter has melted.
At the same time, bring a pan of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions (al dente should take 3-4 minutes). Reserve a cup of cooking water in a mug before draining the pasta. Set aside.
Two: Add the chopped garlic cloves to the melted butter and oil and cook on a low medium heat (you don't want the garlic to burn) for 2 minutes.
Three: Stir in the double cream until the sauce is combined (you might find a whisk helpful here).
Four: Add the cooked pasta, grated parmesan, and fresh herbs to the pan, along with a splash of the reserved pasta water. Stir it all together and add more reserved pasta water until you get a silky glossy sauce. Garnish with more chopped herbs and grated Parmesan before serving in warm bowls.
💭 Expert tips
- Remember that angel hair pasta is very thin, so it wont take long to cook. You want it to still have a bit of bite (al dente).
- Use freshly grated Parmesan if you can. Pre-grated Parmesan is usually coated in anti caking agents which will affect the texture of the sauce.
- Don't skip the salt in the pasta water. An Italian (or was it Nigella?) once told me that pasta water should be as salty as the mediterranean...and that's pretty salty!
- If you don't have fresh herbs to hand, use a teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning instead.
💡 Pro Tip - if you can't get hold of angel hair pasta, use vermicelli, linguine, or spaghetti, instead.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Serve the angel hair pasta just as it is for a light meal for 2.
I often serve it as a side dish to air fryer whole chicken or slow cooker hunters chicken.
It's also great with pizza bianca or garlic bread for an Italian-inspired romantic dinner for two!
📖 Variations
Try these easy ideas to customize your pasta recipe!
- Angel hair pasta with chicken (use leftover roast chicken or rotisserie chicken).
- You could also add in things like garlic butter shrimp, scallops, flaked salmon, or bacon bits, leftover roasted veggies, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and even toasted pine nuts to make the dish into a mouthwatering meal!
- Love your food spicy? Add a chopped red chilli at the same time as the garlic and sprinkle with red pepper flakes at the end of cooking.
- Top with chopped cherry tomatoes for a splash of colour.
- Grate over a little lemon zest for some zing!
- Serve the angel hair pasta with homemade basil pesto, or a creamy tomato sauce instead!
🥡 Storage
Pasta is best eaten fresh, straight from the pan! But if you do have leftovers, don't panic!
To Store: Place the pasta in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To Reheat: Reheat the pasta in the microwave until piping hot. Serve with more freshly grated Parmesan.
To Freeze: Place the cooled pasta in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge before reheating in the microwave.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Angel hair pasta is long and really thin so it is best suited to light and delicate oil-based sauces e.g. pesto.
As angle hair pasta is much thinner than spaghetti, it requires less cooking time. For perfect al-dente angel hair pasta, start checking it after 3 minutes!
Linguine means 'little tongues' in Italian. Linguine strands are flatter and wider than angel hair pasta, which is round.
😋 More easy pasta recipes to try
- Creamy Paprika Chicken Pasta
- Boursin Pasta
- Creamy Bacon and Pumpkin Pasta
- Rasta Pasta
- Chilli Chorizo Pasta
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Recipe
Easy Angel Hair Pasta with Garlic & Herbs
Ingredients
- 250 g Angel Hair Pasta or substitute with vermicelli
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil extra-virgin if you can!
- 1 tablespoon Butter unsalted
- 2 Garlic Cloves peeled and finely chopped
- 100 ml Double Cream
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Basil chopped
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Parsley chopped
- 30 g Parmesan grated
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper
Instructions
- Bring a pan of salted water to a boil and cook the angel hair pasta according to package instructions (al dente should take 3-4 minutes). Reserve a cup of cooking water in a mug before draining the pasta. Set aside.250 g Angel Hair Pasta
- In a frying pan or large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter until the butter has melted.1 tablespoon Olive Oil, 1 tablespoon Butter
- Add the chopped garlic cloves to the melted butter and oil and cook on a low medium heat (you don't want the garlic to burn) for 2 minutes.2 Garlic Cloves
- Stir in the double cream until the sauce is combined (you might find a whisk helpful here).100 ml Double Cream
- Add the cooked angel hair pasta, grated parmesan, and fresh herbs to the pan, along with a splash of the reserved pasta water. Stir it all together and add more reserved pasta water until you get a silky glossy sauce. Season with salt and pepper before serving.1 tablespoon Fresh Basil, 1 tablespoon Fresh Parsley, 30 g Parmesan, ½ teaspoon Salt, ¼ teaspoon Pepper
Notes
- Remember that angel hair pasta is very thin, so it won't take long to cook. You want it to still have a bit of bite (al dente).
- Use freshly grated Parmesan if you can. Pre-grated Parmesan is usually coated in anti-caking agents which will affect the texture of the sauce.
- Don't skip the salt in the pasta water. An Italian (or was it Nigella?) once told me that pasta water should be as salty as the Mediterranean...and that's pretty salty!
- If you don't have fresh herbs to hand, use a teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning instead.
- Angel hair pasta with chicken (use leftover roast chicken or rotisserie chicken).
- You could also add in things like garlic butter shrimp, scallops, flaked salmon, or bacon bits, leftover roasted veggies, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and even toasted pine nuts to make the dish into a mouthwatering meal!
- Love your food spicy? Add a chopped red chilli at the same time as the garlic and sprinkle with red pepper flakes at the end of cooking.
- Top with chopped cherry tomatoes for a splash of colour.
Hayley Dhanecha
Garlic and cream in pasta recipes go so well, one of my favourite combination! Such a delicious recipe.
sue
I love how quickly this all comes together, great recipe!
Jessica Stroup
Such a great recipe! This is going to be a big hit at dinner tonight!
Gloria
This pasta recipe is simple and delicous. Love the fact it is not covered in a heavy meat sauce.
Savita
The pasta looks so creamy and delicious. Can't wait to give it a try.