Creamy White Wine Pasta Sauce

A bowl of pasta with creamy white wine sauce on a pale blue background.

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5 from 2 votes

Creamy White Wine Pasta Sauce

A creamy dreamy, and somewhat decadent White Wine sauce with butter and garlic that you can whip up in just 15 minutes.

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Calories: 400kcal

Author: Helen

Equipment

1 frying pan

Ingredients

14 oz dry pasta (Note 1)
2 tbsp butter
4 cloves garlic crushed
½ cup white wine (Note 2)
¾ cup heavy cream (double cream) (Note 3)
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese finely grated
1.5 tsp balsamic vinegar optional
3 tbsp fresh dill finely chopped
3 tbsp parsley finely chopped
salt to taste normally ¼ tsp
½ tsp black pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package in generously salted water until al dente. Ensure you reserve a few tablespoons of the pasta water before draining it. (Note 4)
Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan over medium heat and add the butter.
Add the crushed garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
Pour in the white wine and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes until it has reduced by half.
Add the cream, balsamic vinegar, dill, parsley, salt, and black pepper to the saucepan and simmer for a few minutes.
Reduce the heat, stir in the Parmesan, parsley and dill.
Remove the pan from the heat once the Parmesan has melted. The sauce is likely to be quite thick at this point. Add a couple of tablespoons of the reserved pasta water until it reaches the right consistency.
Toss the cooked pasta in the sauce until evenly coated.
Serve immediately, topped with extra parsley and black pepper as desired.

Notes

Pasta: I like to use long pasta like spaghetti, linguine or tagliatelle. Feel free to choose based on personal preference.
White wine: Choose a white wine that is dry, crisp, and has a good level of acidity like Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay or Vermentino. Avoid sweet wines that will make the flavours in the dish unbalanced.
Heavy cream (double cream): you can use other types of cream like single cream or crème Fraiche, but this will result in a thinner and less rich sauce. Note, that the recipe has only been tested with heavy/double cream.
Reserved pasta water: Is used to bring the finished sauce to the right consistency if it's a little thick.

Leftover sauce: can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheated on the stove or in the microwave. It is likely to thicken in the fridge and may require a little water or stock to bring it to the right consistency.

Nutrition