Lemon Pasta

Lemon pasta is a creamy, but light pasta that tastes a bit like a citrus alfredo. Ready in minutes, it makes for an easy dinner that tastes better than any pasta you could get in a restaurant.

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This lemon pasta is everything that I love about Italian style cooking.

Delicious?

Unbelievably so.

Especially since like the best of all Italian dishes, it needs a handful of really basic ingredients.

And you don’t have to spend a bunch of time chopping or cutting.

The actual prep?

Popping your garlic through a garlic press.

The rest is as easy as boiling water and melting butter.

And then you have this bright, creamy lemon pasta.

It’s buttery, garlicky, and lemony.

Basically a bowl of perfect comfort food that’s light enough to eat even in summer but cozy enough for winter and can be read in just about 20 minutes.

Ingredients and Kitchen Supplies

For lemon pasta, you will need:

• Linguine – You can use either linguine or fettuccine pasta noodles. Though you can use thinner noodles, the flatter noodles hold the lemon-butter sauce.
• Butter – You could substitute in olive oil if you prefer, but butter gives the lemon pasta a richer flavor.
• Garlic – This adds flavor and a bit of earthy heat to the pasta.
• Pasta Water – You’ll want to reserve a small amount of the water you cooked the noodles in.
• Parmesan and Romano Cheeses – We use a mix of the two, but you could use one or the other if you have a preference. You can also add other cheeses on top, like provolone or mozzarella.
• Lemon Juice – We use fresh squeezed for best flavor and freshness, but you can use
• bottled if that’s what you have.
• Fresh Basil – Slice basil into thin ribbons for some added flavor.
• Seasonings – We used a pinch of salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. You can omit all of them or add more if you like.

You do not need any expensive tools or gadgets, but these tools will help make it easier to make lemon pasta:

• Tongs
• Large pot
• Ladle
• Garlic press
• Handheld juicer

How to Make Lemon Pasta

1. Cook your pasta.

Cook your pasta according to the package instructions for al dente.

This is typically about 9 minutes if you are making linguine.

When it is done cooking, your sauce should be about ready, so just keep the pasta in the pot with the water, removing it from heat.

2. Make the sauce.

Start making your sauce about 7 minutes into the cooking process of the pasta or when you have about 2 minutes left on the pasta.

In a medium to large skillet, melt the butter.

Crush or mince the garlic and add to the melted butter.

Saute the garlic for about 1 to 2 minutes or until it gets fragrant.

3. Bring it all together.

Using tongs, remove the linguine from the pot and gently shake off any excess water.

Place the pasta into the butter and garlic and toss to combine.

Use a spoon or ladle to add about 2 to 3 ladles of the pasta’s cooking water. (Yes, this is not an exact science).

Next, mix in the cheese.

Pour in the lemon juice and add in the basil and seasonings, mixing to combine.

Top with more cheese and basil and serve.

Serving

Serve lemon pasta fresh from your stove top with more cheese and fresh basil on top if you like.

Grilled shrimp or Italian grilled chicken compliment this pasta perfectly.

For some Italian inspired veggies, you can serve tomato and onion salad alongside the pasta.

To add some veggies, you can make this grilled zucchini.

Storing

For the love of all things Italian, please do not make lemon pasta as a “make ahead meal.”

This is supposed to be fresh and served hot from your skillet, not microwaved three days later.

The good news is, you can make this whenever you have abut 15 to 20 minutes – half of the time comes from waiting for the water to heat up.

If you do have leftovers, you can store them in an air tight container in the the fridge for about 3 days.

To reheat, we recommend melting a small amount of butter or use some olive oil in a skillet and tossing to heat over medium low heat until heated through.

If you’re at work, you can of course use the microwave, heating for a few seconds or minutes until it reaches a pleasing temperature for you.

Please do not freeze lemon pasta unless you want to make me cry.

Tips and Tricks

• Start melting the butter when you have about 2 to 3 minutes left on the pasta cooking. It comes together pretty quick once the pasta is done cooking, and you do not want to leave the pasta in the hot water for too long because it can turn to mush.
• Add your favorite protein or roasted veggies for a more complete meal. This would be excellent with some Easy Italian Grilled Chicken added in or even some shrimp for a shrimp scampi/alfredo type situation.
• Olive oil works well with lemon pasta as well, but it is slightly less rich. We’d avoid other oils because they can alter the flavor a bit.

Other Pasta Recipes

If you want to try more pasta recipes, check these out:

• Caprese Tortellini Pasta Salad with Pesto
• Pasta al Pesto
• Easy Creamy Pasta with Ham and Peas
• Brown Butter Lobster Pasta
• Creamy Chicken and Pasta

Did you make this? Let me know!

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