This lemon pasta recipe is shiny, recent, and prepared in 20 minutes! Made with easy components, it is a scrumptious, satisfying weeknight dinner.
This lemon pasta recipe is my tackle Italian pasta al limone. It’s buttery, garlicky, and shiny with citrus, and better of all, it’s tremendous straightforward to make. You possibly can whip it up in 20 minutes utilizing beneath 10 components. Regardless that this lemon pasta feels elegant, it’s an ideal weeknight dinner.
Whereas many lemon pasta sauces name for heavy cream, I skip it right here. As a substitute, butter, Parmesan, and starchy pasta cooking water create the pasta’s silky sauce. These easy components let the recent lemon taste shine by.
Citrus followers, prepare—you’re going to like this pasta!
Lemon Pasta Components
Right here’s what you’ll must make this lemon pasta recipe:
- Pasta, after all! Spaghetti is my prime choose. One other lengthy pasta like linguine would work too.
- Butter – It creates the sauce’s wealthy base. I name for extra-virgin olive oil in most of my recipes, however I really desire the butter right here. It offers the sauce physique and helps it coat the pasta.
- Garlic – It provides savory taste.
- Parmesan cheese – It thickens the sauce and provides salty, umami taste. Freshly grated pecorino is a good sub in case you don’t have Parmesan readily available.
- Lemon zest and juice – The star components! The zest infuses the sauce with shiny, citrusy taste. The juice provides a tangy kick.
- Recent herbs – I like to garnish this dish with parsley or basil for a recent, fragrant completion.
- And salt and pepper – To make all of the flavors pop!
Discover the entire recipe with measurements beneath.
How you can Make Lemon Pasta
This lemon spaghetti recipe is tremendous easy to make! Right here’s the way it goes:
First, cook dinner the pasta. Convey a big pot of salted water to a boil, and cook dinner the pasta till al dente. Within the closing jiffy of cooking, reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta water.
Subsequent, make the sauce. A couple of minutes earlier than the pasta is prepared, warmth the butter in a big skillet over medium warmth till it foams. Scale back the warmth to low and add the lemon zest and minced garlic. Prepare dinner till aromatic, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir ceaselessly to stop the garlic from burning!
Use tongs to switch the cooked pasta from the pot to the skillet with the butter combination. Add 1/2 cup of the pasta water, and toss till a lightweight sauce coats the pasta. Then, add half the cheese and toss once more. Lastly, add the lemon juice and remaining cheese and toss till the sauce is easy.
- Tip: If the lemon sauce will get too thick or begins to clump, add extra pasta water as wanted to loosen it.
Season to style with salt, pepper, and extra lemon juice. Garnish with extra lemon zest and recent basil or parsley, and serve!
What to Serve with Lemon Pasta
This pasta dish pairs properly with recent veggies or a salad. Serve it with a facet of roasted asparagus, sautéed spinach, or considered one of these salad recipes:
Spherical out the meal with crusty bread for sopping up the flavorful sauce!
Storage and Reheating
This lemon spaghetti is finest simply after it’s made, however leftovers maintain effectively in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3 days.
Reheat it within the microwave or on the stovetop, including a splash of water to loosen the sauce if wanted.
Extra Favourite Pasta Recipes
For those who love this lemon pasta, attempt considered one of these straightforward pasta recipes subsequent:
Lemon Pasta
Serves 2
This lemon pasta recipe is my tackle Italian pasta al limone. Shiny, recent, and prepared in 20 minutes, it is a scrumptious weeknight dinner.
Forestall your display from going darkish
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Convey a big pot of salted water to a boil. Put together the pasta in accordance with the package deal directions, cooking till al dente. Within the closing minutes of cooking, reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta cooking water.
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A couple of minutes earlier than the pasta is prepared, add the butter to a big skillet over medium warmth. Warmth the butter till it foams, then cut back the warmth to low and add the lemon zest and garlic. Prepare dinner, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes, or till aromatic. Take away from the warmth in case your pasta continues to be cooking.
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When the pasta is al dente, use tongs to switch it from the pot to the skillet with the butter combination. Add ½ cup of the reserved pasta water and cook dinner over low warmth, tossing till a sauce varieties and frivolously coats the pasta. Add half the cheese and toss to include. Add the lemon juice and remaining cheese and toss once more, cooking till the sauce is easy. If it turns into too thick or clumpy, add extra pasta water as wanted to loosen it. Season to style with salt, pepper, and extra lemon juice.
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Garnish with extra lemon zest and recent parsley. Serve with extra cheese.
Tailored from Critical Eats.
