Lemon Pasta Recipe:- This easy lemon pasta without cream is the ideal dinner for a meal that can be prepared in fifteen minutes or less. It is flavorful, tart, and light. This lemon spaghetti is the greatest you’ll ever try because it is made with high-quality extra virgin olive oil, an abundance of fresh garlic, and a generous amount of Parmesan cheese.
Lemon Pasta Recipe
There is no way that you will ever hear me refuse a typical Italian dish like pasta al limone! The lighter lemon pasta, on the other hand, which omits the heavy cream and butter in favor of a smooth sauce made of olive oil and a little bit of the starchy water from the pasta, is something that I am completely on board with. It is prepared in the same manner as the traditional spaghetti aglio e olio, with the exception that this sauce is delightfully tart because it is made with fresh lemon juice and yellow lemon zest.
As was the case with my lighter version of Pasta Primavera, the addition of a small bit of garlic and a generous amount of grated Parmesan cheese ensures that an abundance of flavor is maintained.
You will still end up with a wonderfully exquisite and adequately creamy lemon spaghetti dish, with the exception that the lemon flavor will be more intense and tart in the most delicious way. The preparation of this lemon spaghetti requires only fifteen minutes and seven ingredients. Let’s get going!
What kind of pasta to use for this lemon pasta recipe?
You’ll need 12 ounces of a thin, long pasta. My personal preference is spaghetti, but you can also use angel hair pasta. These types of noodles are best for lighter sauces like this lemon spaghetti sauce because it’s easier to coat them evenly with sauce.
The lemon pasta sauce
This pasta sauce is light and lemony, and it takes use of some starchy pasta boiling water, which functions as a thickening. When mixed with some good olive oil, it forms a smooth sauce, which is then reinforced with fresh garlic and sharp, nutty Parmesan cheese for an abundance of flavor. You don’t need to use butter or heavy cream!
Ingredients
- 12 ounces spaghetti
- Kosher salt
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, more if needed
- 6 large garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, more to your liking
- Zest of 2 lemons
- Juice of 1 lemon
- ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese to finish, more to your liking, optional
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and salt the water well. Cook the spaghetti according to package instructions to al dente (about 8 minutes). Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining.
- When the pasta is nearly done (about 5 minutes into cooking it), heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and crushed red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the lemon juice and about ¼ cup of the pasta cooking water for now.
- Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet and toss over medium heat.
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Remove the skillet from the heat and add the parsley, lemon zest and grated parmesan. Season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Toss again to combine, and if needed, add a little bit more of the pasta cooking water and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Serve immediately!
Nutrition
Calories: 313kcalCarbohydrates: 43.9gProtein: 9.2gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 2.8mgSodium: 76.4mgPotassium: 173.3mgFiber: 2.1gSugar: 1.6gVitamin A: 503.4IUVitamin C: 7.6mgCalcium: 74.2mgIron: 1.2mg