This Lemon Garlic Pasta with Garlic Confit is my viral recipe of a classic Italian recipe. The slow roasted garlic makes for an impressive pasta dish for any occasion.
This Lemon Garlic Pasta starts with garlic confit, where whole garlic cloves are slow-roasted until they’re soft, sweet, and spreadable—nothing like the sharp bite of raw garlic or even sautéed garlic. The garlic slowly caramelizes alongside lemon rind, infusing the oil with a bright citrus flavor that becomes the foundation of an incredibly creamy, tangy, and deeply garlicky pasta sauce. Just be sure to plan ahead, as the garlic confit needs about 2½ hours to roast, though it can easily be made in advance.
Garlic confit transforms everyday garlic into something rich, mellow, and luxurious, creating a pasta that’s simple yet packed with flavor. Combined with the infused garlic oil and fresh lemon, this easy pasta fills your kitchen with the most incredible aroma and tastes like something you’d order at your favorite Italian restaurant.
If you like this pasta, you’ll love my Spicy and Creamy Tomato Gnocchi and my Boursin Pasta Bake with Olives and Cherry Tomatoes.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Made with just 8 ingredients: This creamy garlic confit sauce is proof that a handful of simple ingredients can create incredible flavor.
- A fun twist on classic pasta: Using gnocchi makes this dish extra hearty, satisfying, and a delicious change from traditional pasta.
- Silky, restaurant-quality sauce: The cream brings the garlic confit and lemon together into a rich, velvety sauce that coats every bite.
- Perfect for any occasion: Whether you’re cooking for a cozy date night or treating yourself to a solo dinner, this comforting recipe feels special with minimal effort.
What is garlic confit?
If you’ve never made garlic confit before, you’re in for a treat. Confit is a classic French cooking technique that slowly cooks food while it’s submerged in fat over low heat. In this recipe, whole garlic cloves are gently roasted in olive oil until they’re soft, lightly golden, and perfectly spreadable. The transformation is remarkable—raw garlic’s sharp, pungent bite becomes sweet, mellow, buttery, and slightly nutty.
The garlic-infused olive oil is just as valuable as the confit itself, adding rich roasted garlic flavor to bread, vegetables, pasta, pizza, and salad dressings. I love making garlic confit in a Le Creuset mini cocotte because it’s the perfect size for a small batch and helps the garlic cook low and slow for consistently delicious results.
Ingredients
- Garlic: Slow-roasted into a garlic confit, the garlic becomes sweet, buttery, and mellow, creating the rich foundation of the sauce.
- Olive oil: Olive oil gently cooks the garlic confit while becoming infused with rich garlic and bright lemon flavor.
- Lemon: Fresh lemon zest, rinds and juice adds brightness that balances the richness of the cream and garlic confit.
- Parmesan: Parmesan melts into the sauce, adding a savory, nutty depth and helping create a silky finish.
- Heavy cream: Heavy cream brings everything together into a rich, velvety sauce that coats every piece of gnocchi.
- Fresh basil: Fresh basil adds a pop of herbaceous flavor and freshness to balance the rich, creamy sauce.
- Gnocchi: Pillowy potato gnocchi soak up the creamy garlic sauce, making every bite hearty and satisfying.
- Butter: Butter adds richness and helps create an extra silky, luxurious sauce.
How to Make Lemon Garlic Pasta
1. Preheat oven to 250. Peel garlic and add to a ramekin along with lemon rind and enough oil to cover the garlic. Bake for about 2 1/2 hours.
2. When garlic confit is done, remove from oil and add to a food processor with butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, sea salt and pepper. Blend until smooth and creamy.
3. Meanwhile, heat a salted pot of water and bring to a boil. Cook the gnocchi for only 2 min or so (less than the full amount since it will go back on the stovetop). Reserve pasta water. Transfer pasta to a large skillet and add 3-4 tbsp dollops of the confit butter.
4. Add in cream, followed by pasta water in increments. Cook on low heat until everything starts to get creamy. Add in parmesan cheese and more pasta water as needed. Top with fresh basil, another nice squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Plan ahead: Give yourself about 2½ hours to make the garlic confit, or prepare it in advance so dinner comes together quickly.
- Cook it low and slow: Resist the temptation to increase the oven temperature, as slow roasting is what gives garlic confit its signature sweet, mellow flavor.
- Blend until silky: Blend the garlic confit and butter until completely smooth to create the creamiest, most luxurious sauce.
- Reserve your pasta water: Save a cup of pasta water before draining to help emulsify the sauce and coat the gnocchi perfectly.
- When making sauce, keep temperatures low: You don’t want the butter to separate, so keep the stovetop low as the sauce develops.
- Save the confit oil: Don’t discard the garlic-infused oil—it’s packed with flavor and perfect for dipping bread, roasting vegetables, or drizzling over finished dishes.
- Add the Parmesan last: Stir in the Parmesan after removing the pan from direct heat so it melts smoothly into the sauce without clumping.
Variations
- Add a protein: Turn this into a heartier meal by adding sautéed shrimp, seared scallops, grilled chicken, or your favorite protein.
- Add some greens: Stir in fresh spinach or arugula at the end for a pop of color and freshness that balances the rich sauce.
- Swap the gnocchi: Use spaghetti, linguine, rigatoni, or your favorite pasta if you prefer a more traditional pasta dish.
- Add sun-dried tomatoes: Sun-dried tomatoes bring a sweet, tangy flavor that pairs beautifully with the creamy garlic confit sauce.
- Finish with toasted breadcrumbs: Sprinkle toasted breadcrumbs over the top for a buttery crunch that contrasts the silky sauce.
- Try different herbs: Finish with crispy sage or your favorite fresh herbs for an extra layer of flavor and texture.
Storage, Freezer & Make Ahead
Storage
Store leftover gnocchi in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat with a splash of cream, milk, or reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce.
Freezer
While the finished dish can be frozen for up to 2 months, the cream sauce may separate slightly when reheated. For the best texture, freeze the garlic confit separately and make the sauce fresh when you’re ready to serve.
Make Ahead
Garlic confit can be made up to 2 weeks in advance and stored in the refrigerator submerged in its oil, making it easy to whip up this pasta in about 15 minutes when you’re ready to cook.
FAQs
You can substitute spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine, rigatoni, or your favorite pasta shape—just reserve some pasta water to help the sauce coat the noodles.
Yes! For a lighter version, use half-and-half or whole milk, though the sauce won’t be quite as rich and creamy as it is with heavy cream.
Yes, as long as it’s refrigerated and the garlic remains fully submerged in the oil, garlic confit can be safely stored for up to 2 weeks.
More Delicious Pasta Recipes
- Pasta with Mascarpone Asparagus and Walnuts
- Pesto Stuffed Shells
- Caramelized Leek Pasta with Capers
- Salmon Pesto Pasta
Lemon Garlic Pasta (with Garlic Confit)
Ingredients
The garlic confit:
- 1 head of garlic
- 1 cup Extra Virgin Olive oil (or enough to submerge the garlic)
- A few pieces of lemon rind (the rest of the lemon will be used below)
The rest:
- 1 lb gnocchi
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp lemon juice (and more as needed)
- 3 tbsp heavy cream
- 1/2 cup pasta water you might not need 1/2 but better to have more as you build your sauce
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 8 tbsp salted butter, softened (one stick)
- 2 tbsp chopped basil (for topping)
Instructions
- Make the garlic confit: Preheat oven to 250. Peel garlic and add to a ramekin along with lemon rind and enough oil to cover the garlic. Bake for about 2 1/2 hours.
- Make the sauce: When it’s done, remove from oil and add to a food processor with butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, sea salt and pepper. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Cook the pasta: Meanwhile, heat a salted pot of water and bring to a boil. Cook the gnocchi for only 2 min or so (less than the full amount since it will go back on the stovetop). Reserve pasta water. Transfer pasta to a large skillet and add 3-4 tbsp dollops of the confit butter.
- Finish pasta sauce: Add in cream, followed by pasta water in increments. Cook on low heat until everything starts to get creamy. Add in parmesan cheese and more pasta water as needed. Top with fresh basil, another nice squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper. Enjoy!
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