Description
Make a restaurant-quality, silky smooth lemon pasta in one pot in under 20 minutes using simple pantry ingredients.
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 oz spaghetti or linguine
- 4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- Zest of 2 large lemons
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Place the pasta, water, and salt into a large pot or Dutch oven. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently to prevent sticking, for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente and most of the liquid has evaporated, leaving a starchy residue.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Immediately add the minced garlic, butter, Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, and black pepper to the pot.
- Stir vigorously until the butter melts and the cheese emulsifies with the starchy cooking water, creating a thick, creamy sauce that coats the pasta.
- If the sauce seems too thick, add a tablespoon of hot water at a time until you reach a velvety consistency.
- Serve immediately with extra grated Parmesan cheese on top.
Notes
- Use the zest from bright yellow, unwaxed lemons for the best flavor.
- Stirring constantly during the final cooking stage is key to releasing starch for the creamy sauce.
- If you prefer a richer sauce, you can substitute 1/4 cup of the water with 1/4 cup of whole milk or light cream.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 12 min
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 580
- Sugar: 3
- Sodium: 650
- Fat: 25
- Saturated Fat: 15
- Unsaturated Fat: 10
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 70
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 21
- Cholesterol: 75