Lemon Pasta – Sugar Spun Run

This Lemon Pasta recipe will be prepared in simply half-hour! It’s made with a creamy, recent lemon sauce and pairs completely with hen or shrimp. Makes an ideal weeknight dinner! Recipe features a how-to video!

My Favourite Lemon Pasta Recipe
This lemon pasta recipe is a light-weight and creamy Italian dish with a citrusy,
Mediterranean twist. It’s brightly flavored with recent lemons, olive oil, and shallots. It’s easy, comes collectively rapidly, and makes an extremely refreshing weeknight dinner.
Pairing lemon with cream is a bit sudden, nevertheless it provides this dish a vibrant and recent taste that isn’t too wealthy. Collectively they create a silky sauce that coats the noodles superbly with out being heavy like an alfredo sauce.
Why you must attempt it:
- Takes solely quarter-hour to prep and one other 15 to cook dinner.
- Might be made with any pasta form you might have available.
- Pairs properly along with your favourite protein, like seared hen or shrimp.
- Distinctive and satisfying taste that’s pleasantly creamy, however not overly wealthy or heavy.
What You Want
We’re protecting it easy in at present’s lemon pasta recipe through the use of just some high-quality elements. Listed here are a very powerful ones:

- Lemon juice + zest. Ensure that to zest your lemon earlier than juicing it (a lot simpler that method 😅), and be aware that you simply solely wish to zest the intense yellow half, not the bitter white papery layer/pith. Additionally! In contrast to my lemonade recipe, you actually can not substitute bottled lemon juice right here; the flavour simply isn’t the identical.
- Crushed crimson pepper. That is elective for these of you who don’t like warmth, however I really like the very slight kick a pinch provides to this lemon pasta recipe. Alternatively, you can too amp up the warmth with one other shake of crushed crimson pepper, if desired.
- Heavy cream. We’ll subdue and complement the lemon with some heavy cream. Double cream or whipping cream may also work. I haven’t tried milk, however concern it will break up.
- Shallot. I really like utilizing a minced shallot for further taste on this lemon pasta recipe. You possibly can substitute minced garlic as a substitute if shallots aren’t your factor; see the recipe notes under for the substitution quantity.
- Parmesan. As in my risotto recipe, you want to use a great high quality parmesan cheese and grate it your self! Don’t use pre-grated or shredded cheese, particularly not the stuff within the plastic shaker canisters. These cheeses comprise anti-caking brokers and might maintain the cheese from melting easily; solely freshly grated parmesan will create a easy sauce.
SAM’S TIP: A top quality pasta or home made pasta actually elevates this dish. I like to make use of spaghetti, linguini, or fettuccine. No matter kind you select, be certain that to cook dinner your pasta til al dente and even simply shy of al dente, since we’re going to complete cooking it within the sauce.
Bear in mind, that is simply an summary of the elements I used and why. For the complete recipe please scroll all the way down to the underside of the put up!p
Learn how to Make Lemon Pasta

- Cook dinner your pasta in boiling salted water till al dente.
- Drain the pasta (don’t rinse!), ensuring to order roughly 1 cup of the water. Put aside.
- Zest and juice your lemon, ensuring to solely zest the yellow pores and skin and never the white papery layer. All the time zest earlier than juicing–it’s fairly difficult to zest an already juiced lemon!
- Soften collectively the olive oil and butter in a big saucepan over medium warmth.
SAM’S TIP: Save your pasta water and DON’T rinse your pasta after draining! The starches within the water and on the pasta will assist emulsify all the pieces collectively and create a silky, velvety sauce.

- Add the shallot, lemon zest, and crushed crimson pepper. Cook dinner till the shallot is translucent.
- Whisk within the lemon juice till mixed.
- Slowly whisk within the cream whereas stirring consistently. Let the combination come to a simmer, stirring ceaselessly.
- Cut back the warmth to low and stir within the parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.

- Add the pasta and a splash of pasta water (our magic bullet fur a well-emulsified sauce, it really works in all the pieces from lemon pasta to tomato-sauce-based ragu).
- Toss all the pieces collectively over low warmth till the pasta is totally coated within the sauce.
SAM’S TIP: Prime your lemon pasta with extra grated parmesan, chopped recent parsley or basil, and salt and pepper to style. I additionally prefer to garnish with a number of lemon slices–so fairly!

Often Requested Questions
Pasta al limone is historically made with none cream and as a substitute solely depends on the emulsion of pasta water, butter, and parmesan to create a silky sauce. So I’d say my model is analogous, however not precisely the identical.
Seared hen or shrimp (like my garlic butter shrimp!) pair effectively with this lemon pasta recipe. I like to recommend cooking your protein individually and including it on high simply earlier than serving.
You can even serve your lemon pasta with a aspect of breadsticks or garlic knots, steamed asparagus or broccoli, roasted brussels sprouts, or a salad.
Sure, however you’ll wish to reheat fastidiously so that you don’t overcook the pasta or trigger the sauce to separate. I’d advocate following the ideas for reheating in my fettuccine alfredo put up, since that recipe is analogous.

I hope your loved ones loves this dish as a lot as mine does!
Get pleasure from!
Let’s bake collectively! I’ll be strolling you thru all of the steps in my written recipe and video under! For those who do this recipe, you should definitely tag me on Instagram, and you can too discover me on YouTube and Facebook

Lemon Pasta
Print
Pin
Rate
Servings: 4 servings (2 oz per individual)
Energy: 532kcal
Stop your display screen from going darkish
Directions
-
Convey a big pot of well-salted water to a boil. As soon as boiling, cook dinner pasta based on bundle directions. As soon as pasta has cooked, reserve about 1 cup of pasta water earlier than draining noodles. Whereas pasta is cooking, start getting ready lemon sauce.
8 oz (226 g) spaghetti noodles
-
In a big saucepan, mix oil and butter over medium warmth.
2 Tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil, 2 Tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter
-
As soon as butter is melted, add shallot, lemon zest, and crushed crimson pepper and cook dinner till shallot is translucent (if substituting garlic, cook dinner simply till garlic is aromatic/30 seconds).
1 heaping Tablespoon finely chopped shallot, ⅛ teaspoon crushed crimson pepper, 2 Tablespoons lemon zest
-
Whisk in 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice till mixed.
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
-
Whereas whisking consistently, slowly drizzle in heavy cream and whisk till mixed.
¾ cup (177 ml) heavy cream
-
Convey combination to a simmer (whereas stirring ceaselessly). As soon as simmering, scale back warmth to low and add parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, ½ teaspoon desk salt, ½ teaspoon floor black pepper
-
Add heat, cooked spaghetti to the pan together with a splash (2-3 Tablespoons) of pasta water. Toss collectively over low warmth till pasta is effectively mixed and effectively coated with the sauce.
-
Prime with recent parsley, if desired, and serve.
Contemporary chopped parsley for garnish
Notes
Shallot
Might substitute 2 teaspoons of minced garlic.
Parmesan
Utilizing freshly grated parmesan (with none anti-caking components) is essential, in any other case the cheese is not going to soften easily.
Protein
This dish goes effectively with grilled hen or shrimp. I sometimes cook dinner individually then serve over the pasta.
Vitamin
Serving: 1serving | Energy: 532kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 13g | Fats: 33g | Saturated Fats: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 2g | Monounsaturated Fats: 12g | Trans Fats: 0.2g | Ldl cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 509mg | Potassium: 220mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 951IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 199mg | Iron: 1mg
Dietary data is predicated on third-party calculations and needs to be thought of an estimate solely. Precise dietary content material will differ based mostly upon manufacturers used, measuring strategies, cooking technique, portion sizes, and extra.
Associated Recipes