Try this Garlic Butter Chili Crisp Pasta recipe and prepared to be WOWED. It's bold, it's mouthwateringly flavorful, and exotically different in the most delicious way. Rich garlic butter sauce blended with the spicy zing of crunch chili crisp and classic Asian sauces, a hint of nuttiness that resembles Thai peanut noodles, and finished with bright fresh cilantro and green onions. It's fusion pasta at its best, and I am here for it.
What is fusion pasta? It's simply using different flavors from more than one cuisine to create a unique pasta dish. Think of Kung Pan Spaghetti or Tom Yum Prawn Linguine as perfect examples of blending Asian flavors with Italian pasta. When I first shared a few videos making these, my Italian friends online shook their heads and share some strong opinions about it. I sincerely hope they know we love traditional Italian spaghetti and mean no ill will by using your beloved pasta shapes. Please let us use your pasta. We simply get tired of using rice noodles sometimes.
This recipe was inspired and adapted from Fig and Live Platter's blog post. I drooled reading it and instantly knew I was going to LOVE all the different flavors. I'm happy to report it did not disappoint! And if you are always on the lookout for fast and easy Asian noodles, don't leave without checking out my Quick 10-Min Spicy Peanut Noodles!
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Why You'll Love Garlic Butter Chili Crisp Pasta
The most obvious reason - it's unique! Each bite is a flavor bomb in your mouth. You get that satisfying bite of pasta covered in savory umami butter sauce, spicy kick from the chili crisp, and brightness from the cilantro and green onions. And to make it an absolute no-brainer, you can have in on the table ready to eat in only 15 minutes. Those reasons are enough for me - how about you?
Notes About A Few Ingredients
- Tahini or peanut butter: I have tried this pasta each one, and they are both delicious. You can also use almond butter if anyone has peanut or sesame allergies.
- Spicy chili crisp: Adjust amount according to your spice tolerance. Use your favorite brand - my go-to jar is Lao Gan Ma.
- Cilantro: It's an essential ingredient for me, but I know cilantro tastes like soap to many of you. You can omit completely and add more green onions.
- Spaghetti: Cook according to package instructions to 1 minute short of al dente. Use any long pasta shape - angel hair, linguine, etc. You can also stick to classic Asian noodles - wide rice noodles, egg noodles, ribbon wavy noodles, or ramen would work great.
- Lime: Fresh lime squeeze can be easily forgotten, but I highly recommend you don't. It give that final zing that brings the whole dish together.
How To Make Garlic Butter Chili Crisp Pasta
Melt butter on medium heat. Add chopped garlic, stir until fragrant. Spoon in chili crisp.
Add in tahini, soy sauce, and oyster sauce and stir for 1-2 mins until slightly thickened. Turn off the heat.
Boil salted water. Cook al dente pasta 1 minute less than package instructions. Save ½ cup of the pasta water.
Toss in pasta directly to sauce, do not rinse. Turn heat back on.
Add in chopped cilantro and green onions. Mix to combine, adding pasta water as needed. Coat pasta evenly, then turn off the heat.
Squeeze lime over pasta and sprinkle more cilantro garnish.
Suzy's Tips For Success
- Cook pasta al dente: Since pasta will return to the heat with the garlic butter chili sauce, cook pasta 1 minute less than package instructions.
- Adjust spicy chili crisp accordingly: Add more or reduce according to your spice level.
- Salt pasta water generously: Be heavy handed with the salt, trust me. You're not ingesting it all the sodium, most of it will be drained away. If your pasta dishes ever turn out bland, 99% of the time it's because you didn't salt your pasta water. Skip this step ONLY if you're not using wheat pasta.
How To Store/Reheat Garlic Butter Chili Crisp Pasta
Store leftovers in fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. To reheat, cover and microwave for 1-2 minutes.
FAQ
Yes! Use your favorite gluten-free pasta (or rice noodles), gluten-free soy sauce and oyster sauce. All the other ingredients are typically free of gluten - read all labels to confirm.
Of course! Wide rice noodles would work great, just be sure to cook them according to package instructions.
Definitely! Just omit from the recipe or use more green onions.
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Equipment
- large pot to boil pasta
- large saucepan
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
- 2 tablespoon spicy chili crisp adjust to your spice level
- 2 tbsp tahini or peanut butter
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 8 oz spaghetti or any long pasta
- 4 green onions, finely sliced
- 2 tablespoon cilantro, chopped +more for garnish
- squeeze of lime
- salt to taste as needed
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter on medium heat. Stir in the garlic until they are fragrant.4 tablespoon unsalted butter, 4 garlic cloves
- Spoon in the chili crisp, tahini, soy sauce, and oyster sauce. Cook while stirring until sauce thickens slightly, about 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside.2 tablespoon spicy chili crisp, 2 tablespoon tahini or peanut butter, 2 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- In a large pot, boil water and salt generously. Cook pasta 1 minutes less than package instructions. Reserve ½ cup of salted pasta.8 oz spaghetti or any long pasta
- Toss all the pasta directly into sauce and turn heat back on. Add in chopped cilantro and green onions. Mix to combine, adding pasta water as needed until pasta is evenly coated. Turn off the heat.2 tablespoon cilantro, chopped, 4 green onions, finely sliced
- Transfer pasta to serving dish, add salt if needed, and garnish with more cilantro and chili crisp drizzle if desired. Finish by squeezing fresh lime juice over pasta and serve immediately.squeeze of lime, salt
Nutrition
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