Pasta with Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce

I saw this recipe for pasta with roasted garlic cream sauce on Food alla Puttanesca and knew it would be a hit at our house. I decided to add broccoli and chicken to make it a full meal.


Easy and very tasty, with plenty of roasted garlic flavor. This is definitely a keeper.

Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce
Slightly modified from Elizabeth's Cooking by way of Food alla Puttanesca

1 head garlic, roasted
Olive oil
1 cup cream or half & half
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more at the table
Red pepper flakes, optional
2 broccoli crowns cut into bite-sized pieces
2 chicken breasts
1 lb pasta

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Cut the garlic head in half lengthwise. Place each half on a sheet of tin foil. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Bake for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven, let sit about 5 minutes, and then open the tin foil to let the garlic cool.

In a medium pot over medium-high heat, add butter and once melted, add flour and cook 1 minute. Add cream and milk, whisking to break up any lumps. Add minced garlic, salt and pepper. Bring to just boiling, then reduce heat to low. Add cheese and whisk until smooth.

Once the roasted garlic is cool, squeeze the garlic out of the papery skin. Mash with a fork and add to the cream sauce and whisk together. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes.

While the sauce is woking, cook the pasta according to package directions. About 4 minutes before the pasta is done, add the broccoli. Once cooked, drain and set aside.

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add a little oil to the skillet and cook the chicken through, about 5 minutes per side. Once the chicken is cooked, cut it into bite-size pieces.

Toss the pasta, broccoli and chicken with the sauce. Add more cheese just before serving.