Real went into the game looking to bounce back from their shock defeat to Espanyol in midweek against a side who are still in contention for a place in Europe against all odds.
The game started at a snail’s pace, with neither side really doing anything of note in the first 20 minutes.
Angel’s tame strike after cutting in from the right was the game’s only effort before Gareth Bale put the hosts ahead with 24 minutes on the clock.
Karim Benzema kept the ball alive at the far post following a corner and his lofted ball in dropped to the feet of the Welshman, who drilled home from 12 yards.
Real were dominating possession at that point, but creating chances was still proving more difficult.
Dani Carvajal saw a low effort from 25 yards skid wide of the far post but on the stroke of half-time, Real found a second.
Cristiano Ronaldo was found by Karim Benzema and the Portuguese cut inside two Getafe defenders before finding the far corner with his left foot to put Real 2-0 up and score his 300th La Liga goal.
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- Controversial decisions -
Despite trailing, Getafe came out fighting in the second period, with Loic Remy going close just seconds after the restart.
That pressure was soon alleviated though as the French striker was given his marching orders for a second bookable offence with just 47 minutes gone, giving the visitors a mountain to climb.
However, just after the hour mark they were handed a route back into the game.
Nacho was adjudged to have illegally felled substitute Jorge Molina as he raced clear - despite clearly getting the ball - and Francisco Portillo fired the penalty straight down the middle to halve the deficit.
The away side never truly looked like mounting a shock comeback though and could have been further behind when Ronaldo had the ball in the net once again, only for his far post header to be chalked off for a foul with 67 minutes gone.
Arsenal loanee Emiliano Martinez in the visiting goal made fine saves to deny Ronaldo and Benzema, but with 12 minutes to play he was beaten by Ronaldo once again.
The 33-year-old rose to head home Marcelo's cross from the left at the near post to make the game safe and ensure that Real go into their Champions League game against PSG in midweek off the back of a win.
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Bale twice went close to adding to the scoreline late on, including seeing a curling effort clip the post, but Real were made to do with a 3-1 win as they consolidated third place in La Liga, Getafe meanwhile remain 10th.