This Lemon Pasta recipe may be prepared in simply half-hour! It’s made with a creamy, recent lemon sauce and pairs completely with hen or shrimp. Makes a fantastic weeknight dinner! Recipe features a how-to video!
My Favourite Lemon Pasta Recipe
This lemon pasta recipe is a lightweight 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, but it surely offers 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 it’s best to strive it:
- Takes solely quarter-hour to prep and one other 15 to prepare dinner.
- Might be made with any pasta form you’ve got 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 holding it easy in at present’s lemon pasta recipe through the use of only a few high-quality components. Listed below are an important ones:
- Lemon juice + zest. Make certain to zest your lemon earlier than juicing it (a lot simpler that means 😅), and be aware that you simply solely wish to zest the brilliant 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 too can 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 worry it might break up.
- Shallot. I really like utilizing a minced shallot for additional taste on this lemon pasta recipe. You’ll be able to substitute minced garlic as an alternative if shallots aren’t your factor; see the recipe notes under for the substitution quantity.
- Parmesan. As in my risotto recipe, you could use 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 include anti-caking brokers and might maintain the cheese from melting easily; solely freshly grated parmesan will create a clean 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 sort you select, be sure to prepare dinner your pasta til al dente and even simply shy of al dente, since we’re going to complete cooking it within the sauce.
Keep in mind, that is simply an outline of the components I used and why. For the total recipe please scroll all the way down to the underside of the publish!p
How you can Make Lemon Pasta
- Prepare 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 every part collectively and create a silky, velvety sauce.
- Add the shallot, lemon zest, and crushed crimson pepper. Prepare dinner till the shallot is translucent.
- Whisk within the lemon juice till mixed.
- Slowly whisk within the cream whereas stirring continually. Let the combination come to a simmer, stirring incessantly.
- Scale 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 every part from lemon pasta to tomato-sauce-based ragu).
- Toss every part 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 wish to garnish with just a few lemon slices–so fairly!
Steadily Requested Questions
Pasta al limone is historically made with none cream and as an alternative solely depends on the emulsion of pasta water, butter, and parmesan to create a silky sauce. So I’d say my model is comparable, however not precisely the identical.
Seared hen or shrimp (like my garlic butter shrimp!) pair nicely with this lemon pasta recipe. I like to recommend cooking your protein individually and including it on prime 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 suggest following the ideas for reheating in my fettuccine alfredo publish, since that recipe is comparable.
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! When you do this recipe, you’ll want to tag me on Instagram, and you too can discover me on YouTube and Fb
Lemon Pasta
Servings: 4 servings (2 oz per individual)
Energy: 532kcal
Forestall your display from going darkish
Directions
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Convey a big pot of well-salted water to a boil. As soon as boiling, prepare dinner pasta in keeping with package deal 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
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In a big saucepan, mix oil and butter over medium warmth.
2 Tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil, 2 Tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter
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As soon as butter is melted, add shallot, lemon zest, and crushed crimson pepper and prepare dinner till shallot is translucent (if substituting garlic, prepare dinner simply till garlic is aromatic/30 seconds).
1 heaping Tablespoon finely chopped shallot, ⅛ teaspoon crushed crimson pepper, 2 Tablespoons lemon zest
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Whisk in 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice till mixed.
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
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Whereas whisking continually, slowly drizzle in heavy cream and whisk till mixed.
¾ cup (177 ml) heavy cream
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Convey combination to a simmer (whereas stirring incessantly). 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
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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 nicely mixed and nicely coated with the sauce.
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Prime with recent parsley, if desired, and serve.
Recent chopped parsley for garnish
Notes
Shallot
Might substitute 2 teaspoons of minced garlic.
Parmesan
Utilizing freshly grated parmesan (with none anti-caking components) is important, in any other case the cheese is not going to soften easily.
Protein
This dish goes nicely with grilled hen or shrimp. I usually prepare dinner individually then serve over the pasta.
Diet
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 relies on third-party calculations and ought to be thought-about an estimate solely. Precise dietary content material will fluctuate based mostly upon manufacturers used, measuring strategies, cooking methodology, portion sizes, and extra.
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