Lemon Pasta – Sugar Spun Run
6 min read
This Lemon Pasta recipe might be prepared in simply half-hour! It’s made with a creamy, contemporary lemon sauce and pairs completely with hen or shrimp. Makes an incredible 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 contemporary lemons, olive oil, and shallots. It’s easy, comes collectively shortly, and makes an extremely refreshing weeknight dinner.
Pairing lemon with cream is a bit sudden, nevertheless it offers this dish a vibrant and contemporary 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 is best to strive it:
- Takes solely quarter-hour to prep and one other 15 to prepare dinner.
- Will be made with any pasta form you’ve gotten available.
- Pairs properly together 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 preserving it easy in at the moment’s lemon pasta recipe by utilizing just some high-quality components. Listed here are crucial ones:

- Lemon juice + zest. Ensure that to zest your lemon earlier than juicing it (a lot simpler that manner 😅), and word that you simply solely need to zest the intense yellow half, not the bitter white papery layer/pith. Additionally! Not like my lemonade recipe, you actually can’t 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 will even work. I haven’t tried milk, however worry it might cut up.
- Shallot. I really like utilizing a minced shallot for further taste on this lemon pasta recipe. You may substitute minced garlic as an alternative if shallots aren’t your factor; see the recipe notes beneath for the substitution quantity.
- Parmesan. As in my risotto recipe, you might want to use a superb 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 may maintain the cheese from melting easily; solely freshly grated parmesan will create a easy sauce.
SAM’S TIP: A top quality pasta or selfmade pasta actually elevates this dish. I like to make use of spaghetti, linguini, or fettuccine. No matter sort you select, ensure 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.
Bear in mind, that is simply an summary of the components I used and why. For the total recipe please scroll right down to the underside of the publish!p
The right way to 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 little thing 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 continuously. Let the combination come to a simmer, stirring continuously.
- 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 little thing from lemon pasta to tomato-sauce-based ragu).
- Toss every little thing collectively over low warmth till the pasta is completely coated within the sauce.
SAM’S TIP: Prime your lemon pasta with extra grated parmesan, chopped contemporary parsley or basil, and salt and pepper to style. I additionally prefer to garnish with just a few lemon slices–so fairly!

Ceaselessly 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 analogous, however not precisely the identical.
Seared hen or shrimp (like my garlic butter shrimp!) pair properly with this lemon pasta recipe. I like to recommend cooking your protein individually and including it on high simply earlier than serving.
You can too 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 need to reheat rigorously so that you don’t overcook the pasta or trigger the sauce to separate. I’d suggest following the guidelines for reheating in my fettuccine alfredo publish, 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 beneath! When you do that recipe, remember to tag me on Instagram, and you can too discover me on YouTube and Facebook

Lemon Pasta
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Servings: 4 servings (2 oz per particular person)
Energy: 532kcal
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Directions
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Carry a big pot of well-salted water to a boil. As soon as boiling, prepare dinner pasta in line 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 making 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 continuously, slowly drizzle in heavy cream and whisk till mixed.
¾ cup (177 ml) heavy cream
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Carry combination to a simmer (whereas stirring continuously). 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 properly mixed and properly coated with the sauce.
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Prime with contemporary 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 crucial, in any other case the cheese is not going to soften easily.
Protein
This dish goes properly with grilled hen or shrimp. I sometimes 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 info relies on third-party calculations and ought to be thought of an estimate solely. Precise dietary content material will fluctuate based mostly upon manufacturers used, measuring strategies, cooking technique, portion sizes, and extra.
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