Garlic bread pasta

Remember when I went to the deli for lunch a couple of weeks ago? One of the other things I bought there was this beautiful smoked head of garlic. I've been trying to think of a recipe worthy of it ever since. I wanted a recipe that made the garlic the star of the show, but that would also work just as well with unsmoked garlic, for those of you who can't get your hands on the smoked stuff.

Look how brown and smokey it looks! And it smells incredible.

Which leads me on to today's recipe...

You all like garlic bread alongside your pasta, right? So why can't you combine the two?

Crispy, garlicky, buttery breadcrumbs, on top of slightly cheesy pasta. It works perfectly - the butter provides just enough moisture for this dish to not be too dry, and the added crunch from the crispy breadcrumbs is a texture that you find all too rarely in pasta dishes.

To be honest, I was expecting more smokiness from the garlic - it was a little disappointing, but I can't feel too bad, because even normal garlic is one of my absolute favourite things. In fact I'm almost glad because now I know that this recipe will taste just as good using normal garlic - so I won't have to splash out on any more of the smoked stuff. (although I still have half a bulb left... ideas?)

This was really tasty, and I really enjoyed the crunch. It didn't take long for my plate to go from looking oh-so-pretty to looking like this:

This recipe is featured over at Flour Me With Love's Mix It Up Monday, at Chef In Training's Tuesday Talent Show and at The Country Cook's Weekend Potluck- go and take a look at some of their other great recipes :)

Garlic bread pasta

Serves 2

150g pasta (I used penne)
6 cloves garlic, minced
30g breadcrumbs (around 1 slice of bread)
60g butter
1tsp dried thyme
1tbsp grated vegetarian parmesan
2tbsp grated cheddar, to serve (optional)

Boil the pasta according to the instructions on the packet.

Meanwhile, heat 40g of the butter in a frying pan, and once it has melted, add the garlic, breadcrumbs and thyme. Over a medium heat, stir continually until the breadcrummbs are brown and crispy. (Note: it does not take long for the breadcrumbs to go from soggy to crispy, so don't take your eye off them!)

Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and stir in the remaining 20g of butter and the parmesan.

Serve topped with the crispy garlic breadcrumbs, and a little grated cheddar if desired.