Lemon Pasta

Name: Lemon Pasta
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 1 lb short pasta (penne, rigatoni, ziti, trottole); 1 large lemon; 1/2 /2 cup butter, divided; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1/2 /2 teaspoon crushed red pepper; 2 cups heavy cream; 1 cup reserved pasta water; 3/4 /4 cup grated parmesan; salt and pepper to taste; (optional) chopped parsley for garnish

User Reviews

4.8

27 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Servings
8 servings
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
Italian

Lemon Pasta

Farrah Morgan

Report

Classic Lemon Pasta is made with simple ingredients in under 30 minutes! This bright lemon flavored pasta dinner in a creamy lemon sauce. An easy weeknight dinner!

Share:

I Made This!

Be the first!

Print

4 people printed this

Save this

Be the first!

Ingredients

Servings

1 lb short pasta (penne, rigatoni, ziti, trottole)
1 large lemon
1/2 /2 cup butter, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 /2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup reserved pasta water
3/4 /4 cup grated parmesan
salt and pepper to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to start)
(optional) chopped parsley for garnish

Add Ingredients to Shopping List

Recommended Tools for this Recipe

Instructions

In a large pot of salted water, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Make sure to reserve 1 cup of pasta water for the sauce.
Zest the lemon and cut two slices off removing the seeds. Juice the rest of the lemon. Set aside.
While the pasta cooks, in a large saucepan, melt half of the butter (4 tablespoons) over medium heat with the two slices of lemon. Brown the butter (cook for 3-4 minutes) until specks of brown appear and it smells nutty. Quickly add the garlic and red pepper and cook for 30 seconds. Remove the slices of lemon with tongs.
Quickly add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter, cream, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Add the 1 cup of pasta water (scooping it out if still cooking pasta).
Simmer sauce for 5-7 minutes until it thickens slightly. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. Add the drained pasta and toss to coat.
Serve immediately and garnish with more Parmesan and fresh parsley if desired. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.

Notes

Mise en place means "a culinary process in which ingredients are prepared and organized (as in a restaurant kitchen) before cooking".
Basically to be successful in this recipe it really helps if you half all the ingredients set out and ready to go. Especially in the brown butter part because if you don't add the remaining butter after the butter has browned it could burn.