freshly ground black pepperAdd as much as you would like, but consider adding more to this dish than you would normally add to a 'regular' dish.
1 1/2cups parmesan cheeseI grated about 2 cups. You can never have too much cheese!
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add a generous amount of salt before adding the pasta to the pot. Cook until the pasta is al dente, or still has a little bite. Reserve 2 cups of the pasta water.
Do NOT rinse the pasta!
Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in your skillet over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the garlic and 1 1/2 cups of the pasta water and bring to a simmer. It will seem like a lot of water, but don't worry.
Grind in a generous amount of pepper.
Add the pasta and remaining 3 tablespoons butter to the skillet. Stir to combine.
Add the Parmesan a handful at a time, tossing the pasta with each addition and adding more pepper if desired. Remove from the heat and continue to toss the pasta until well coated, thinning with the extra pasta water if needed.
Notes
I didn't need to use a full 2 cups of the pasta water, so I poured the 1/2 cup that I had remaining into the leftovers. When the pasta gets reheated, it won't be dried out.