Lemon Pasta Recipe
Short on time but still want a delicious meal? This Lemon Pasta Recipe comes together quickly with just a few basic ingredients, making it perfect for busy weeknights or a special dinner with someone you love.
Its bright, zesty flavor will impress even the pickiest eaters—simple, satisfying, and guaranteed to please.
Just like my Gnocchi alla Sorrentina, this zesty Lemon Pasta Recipe will take you straight to the Amalfi coast. Known as pasta al limone in Italy, it’s a quick and simple recipe that’s perfect for summer—or to add a little sunshine to a chilly winter day.
Many Lemon Pasta recipes call for cream, but I don’t think it’s necessary. Plus, my husband isn’t a fan of cream, so I skip it to keep him happy. The real trick to a creamy lemon pasta, without using cream, is to finish cooking the pasta right in the lemony sauce. Add plenty of pasta cooking water, and it creates a beautifully creamy texture. It’s that simple!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Fast and easy – This Lemon Pasta Recipe is quick—just as quick as my Cream Cheese Pasta! Ready in 15 minutes, it’s the perfect go-to for busy weeknights or whenever you need a fast, satisfying meal.
- Versatile – Adapt this recipe to suit your family. Make it spicy with a little red pepper flakes. Or add garlic for a lemony garlic pasta. Add herbs such as parsley or mint, that your family loves—there are endless ways to make this Lemon Pasta Recipe your own!
- Minimal Ingredients – With just a few basics, you can whip up a meal in no time—perfect for last-minute dinners or unexpected guests.
- Taste – If you like the flavor of vibrant, fresh lemon, you’ll love this pasta! It’s the ideal combination of creamy, buttery, and lemony that will sing in your mouth. Of course, if you love lemon flavors like I do, you must try my Lemon and Ricotta Cake!
For complete ingredient quantities and full instructions, please scroll to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Ingredients
- Linguine – You’ll taste the difference with good-quality durum wheat linguine, especially in a simple recipe like this. It doesn’t have to be expensive—just look for “bronze die” on the package. This means the pasta was extruded through traditional bronze plates, giving it a slightly rough texture that helps the sauce cling better.
- Lemons – Because this Lemon Pasta Recipe uses lemon zest, I like to choose fresh organic lemons. Luckily I have a lemon tree in the backyard. Bottle lemon juice isn’t a good substitute.
- Salted butter – If you only have unsalted butter, go ahead and use it—just add a little extra salt to balance the flavor.
- Extra virgin olive oil – You don’t need top-quality extra virgin olive oil—just use whatever you have in your pantry.
- Parmesan cheese – Or Parmigiano Reggiano. For the best results, buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself. Pre-grated cheese contains additives to prevent clumping, which also hinders melting.
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper – I generally use fine sea salt or salt flakes for this recipe. To salt pasta water, coarse salt is my preference but use whatever you have. Remember to taste and adjust everything you cook not just this recipe.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Finely grate the zest and squeeze the juice.
Boil the pasta in salted water for 2 minutes less than the package instructions.
In the meantime in a large skillet, melt butter with olive oil and half of the zest over medium-low heat
Add ¾ of the fresh lemon juice. Bring to a simmer and reduce slightly.
Drain the pasta, reserving the pasta water. Toss the pasta in the lemon sauce. Add hot pasta water and salt.
Turn the heat up to high and cook stirring constantly until creamy and the pasta is cooked.
Stir in Parmesan cheese, season with black pepper, and taste to check for salt. Adjust with more pasta water to create a creamy lemon sauce.
Serve immediately with extra Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano) cheese.
Marcellina’s Hint: This Lemon Pasta Recipe can be adjusted to suit your tastes. If you prefer a less tangy sauce, use less lemon juice to begin with. After cooking the pasta in the sauce you can taste and add a little more lemon juice before serving.
Substitutions
- Linguine – instead of linguine, you can use spaghetti, bucatini, or angel hair pasta (capellini).
- Butter – substitute 2 tablespoons of olive oil for the butter.
- Parmesan – the Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano) can be replaced with a pecorino Romano cheese if you prefer. Alternatively, omit the cheese and replace it with a few tablespoons of heavy cream or pouring cream.
Variations
- Spicy – make a spicy version by adding a sprinkle of red pepper flakes into the sauce before adding the pasta.
- Lemon Garlic Pasta – add one peeled and grated garlic clove to the butter and oil mixture and cook until fragrant before adding lemon juice.
- Pasta with lemon and capers – add capers to the lemon sauce.
Equipment
A large saucepan is a must when boiling pasta. Pasta must “swim” in the cooking water. Problems of pasta clumping and sticking together is usually because the saucepan was too small and there was too little water to cook it properly.
For the sauce, use a large skillet that will fit the cooked pasta comfortably. It will be easier to combine linguine with the sauce.
Other equipment you’ll need for this recipe is a fine microplane grater for the lemon zest. A juicer will make life a lot easier when juicing lemons or any citrus.
Storage
This pasta should be eaten immediately because it doesn’t store well. If you have leftovers, store in the fridge in any airtight container. Reheat in a skillet or pan adding a little boiling water to return the sauce to a creamy consistency.
Top tips
- This Lemon Pasta Recipe is very quick and doesn’t need any advanced ingredient preparation. To complete this recipe in 15 minutes, have all the equipment needed at hand, and have the water boiling.
- Use fresh lemons for this Lemon Pasta Recipe. Bottled lemon juice won’t provide the same flavor. Lemons should be zested first and juiced second.
- Don’t overcook the pasta. It will finish cooking in the sauce. But be sure to reserve the pasta water which will create the creamy sauce as you toss the pasta over the high heat.
- If the sauce is too tangy or sour, stir in a little more butter or parmesan cheese to balance the acidity. If the sauce is too thick, add more pasta water to create the perfect consistency.
FAQ
Pasta with lemon or pasta al limone is an Italian classic from the Amalfi coast but you’ll also find this dish in Sicily where lemons grow well.
This pasta recipe with lemon does have a sour taste due to the acidity in lemons. However the addition of olive oil, butter, and Parmesan cheese balances the acidity of the lemon juice to create a tangy but creamy sauce.
Yes, lime can be substituted for lemon. Limes are more acidic than lemons but also more floral so the flavor will be different. Adjust the amount of lime juice to your taste.
Serving Suggestions
Serve Lemon Pasta with bread like Semolina Bread or homemade Grissini. I love to follow with a fruity dessert like Dried Fruit Compote or Baked Peaches.
Related
Chicken Limone
Lemony Ricotta Cookies
Italian Lemon Cake
Lemon Biscotti
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Creamy Lemon Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound (450 grams) linguine pasta
- 2 large lemons See Note 1
- 1 ounces (¼ stick or 30 grams) salted butter or an additional 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste) plus more for boiling the pasta
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 ounces (60 grams) finely grated Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano cheese) See Note 2
Instructions
- Finely grate the zest of the lemons. Squeeze the juice and you should have at least ⅓ cup, maybe a little more. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 2 minutes less than the time indicated on the package.
- While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter with the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ¾ of the fresh lemon juice (set the remainder aside for later), half of the lemon zest, and salt and pepper stirring to combine. Let the sauce reduce slightly.
- Drain the pasta, reserving the pasta water. Add the pasta to the pan with the sauce, tossing to coat.
- Add 1 cup of pasta water then let the linguine simmer over high heat allowing the water to evaporate stirring constantly. In just a few minutes, it will turn creamy, absorb all the flavors, and finish cooking. Add more water if the sauce becomes too thick.
- Remove from the heat and stir in grated Parmesan cheese adding more pasta water as necessary to produce a creamy lemon sauce.
- Taste and adjust with more lemon juice, lemon zest, or salt as you like to your taste. If the sauce to too tangy, add a little more butter.
- Season with black pepper and serve immediately with a scattering of finely grated lemon zest. Extra Parmesan cheese can be added to each serving as desired.
Notes
- Choose large lemons. If the lemons are small, use three. Some lemons are very juicy. Others are not juicy at all so this will vary. You may not use all the juice depending on how lemony you want the sauce to be.
- Lemons will vary in acidity which is why this recipe is very much a matter of taste. Add more juice if your lemons are sweet or if you like a more sour and tangy sauce.
- Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano) can be omitted. In that case, add a small amount of fresh cream for a creamier texture.
- This pasta recipe is quick and requires no advanced prep. Have all equipment ready and water boiling to complete in 15 minutes.
- Use fresh lemons, zesting first, then juicing. Bottled lemon juice won’t give the same flavor.
- Don’t overcook the pasta; it will finish cooking in the sauce. Reserve pasta water to create the creamy sauce.
- If the sauce is too tangy, stir in more butter or parmesan to balance. Add more pasta water if the sauce is too thick.
Nutritional Estimate Per Serving
Nutritional Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. For accurate results, it is recommended that the nutritional information be calculated based on the ingredients and brands you use.
What a simple recipe! It’s just what I needed after a busy week at work. Thank you.
Yes, it is so simple and satisfying, isn’t it, Jon-Luca!
Wonderful!
I’m happy that you enjoyed this recipe, Margaret!