Oven Baked Cowboy Butter Pasta
A rich, buttery baked pasta made with spaghetti, garlic, herbs, and hot water that turns into a glossy cowboy butter-style sauce as it bakes. This simple oven method creates tender noodles with bold garlic-herb flavor and minimal hands-on work.
Ingredients
- 12 oz dry spaghetti or thin spaghetti broken in half
- 1 cup salted butter melted
- 4 cloves garlic finely minced, or about 1 tablespoon jarred minced garlic
- 2 tbsp dried Italian seasoning or dried parsley blend heaping, if desired
- 1 tsp salt optional, to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper optional
- 2 1/2 cups hot water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and lightly grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish.
- Break the spaghetti in half and spread it evenly in the prepared dish.
- In a bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the melted butter, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt if using, and black pepper if using.
- Whisk the hot water into the butter mixture.
- Pour the garlic-herb butter mixture evenly over the dry pasta.
- Use tongs or a fork to press the noodles down into the liquid as much as possible.
- Cover the dish tightly with foil.
- Bake covered for 25 minutes.
- Carefully remove the foil, watching for steam.
- Toss the noodles well with tongs to separate any clumps and coat them in the sauce.
- Return the dish to the oven uncovered and bake for 10–15 minutes, tossing once halfway through if possible, until the pasta is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
- Toss the pasta one final time after baking.
- Let it rest for 3–5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Keep the foil sealed tightly during the first bake so the pasta steams properly. Taste before adding salt, as salted butter may be enough.
Nutrition
Calories: 465kcal
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