Lemon pasta on a plate
Main Dishes

Lemon Pasta

Level:
Easy
Total Time:
25 min
Yield:
6 servings

This pasta is a delicious Southern Italy traditional dish. This easy pasta dish is made with a lemon butter sauce. The results is a pasta dish with a rich buttery citrus sauce that makes one perfect light meal!

Lemon Pasta

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Course: Main Course
Keyword: main dish
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 366kcal
This traditional Southern Italy dish is a delicious light pasta that will go well with any meat on a busy weeknight. It is especially good with chicken or fish!

Equipment

  • large pot
  • skillet

Ingredients

  • 1 Lemon juiced
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 cloves Garlic crushed
  • 4 Tablespoons Cold salted butter cubed (see notes)
  • 1/2 pound Spaghetti noodles
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan Reggiano cheese freshly grated
  • 1 Tablespoon Salt
  • 1 cup pasta water retained from drained pasta

Instructions

  • In a large pot over medium high heat, boil water seasoned with the salt.
  • Cube the butter and return to the refrigerator to keep cold.
  • Add the noodles to the water and cook for 10 minutes or until al dente.
  • Add the serving bowls to the back of the stove to keep warm (see notes).
  • Warm a large deep skillet, add the lemon juice, zest, and garlic.
  • Using a pair of tongs, move the pasta, still dripping, from the water to the skillet. Turn the heat to low. Add the cold butter. Toss to combine until all the butter has melted. Add pasta water as desired to make more sauce.
  • Add noodles to plate and pile on a generous helping of cheese. Serve hot and enjoy!

Notes

  • This recipe uses garlic however you can omit the garlic if desired.
  • Cold butter is crucial to making this pasta thick and creamy.
  • If more sauce is desired, you can add more pasta water.
  • If you want the sauce thicker versus thin, you can add more butter.
  • Keeping the plates warm will make the sauce so it does not break when it comes in contact with a cold plate.