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Creamy Lemon Pasta (Pasta al Limone, 15 Minutes)
This recipe for spaghetti in Italian lemon-cream sauce is rich and cheesy, yet bright. Ready in just 15 minutes, it's an easy, weeknight-friendly dinner.
👥 4 Servings🔥 Cook: 15 min👤 Molly Baz📖 bonappetit
🥘 Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you prepare them:
🍳 Cookware
- ●pot
- ●dutch oven
- ●bowl
- ●peeler
- ●oven
- ●whisk
📝 Preparation Steps
1
Using a vegetable peeler, remove two 2"-long strips of zest from 1 lemon. Thinly slice each strip lengthwise into thin strands; set aside for serving. Finely grate remaining lemon zest into a large pot (like a Dutch oven). Cut zested lemon in half and squeeze out enough fresh lemon juice to yield 2 Tbsp. into a small bowl; set aside.
lemon1
2
Cook 12 oz. spaghetti or other long pasta in another large pot of boiling heavily salted water according to package directions, stirring occasionally, until very al dente (pasta will finish cooking in the sauce).
. spaghetti or other long pasta12 oz
3
Meanwhile, add ¾ cup heavy cream to pot with lemon zest and cook over medium heat, whisking often, until liquid is just beginning to simmer, about ⏱️ 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Whisk in 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter until melted. Repeat with remaining 5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, adding 1 Tbsp. at a time and whisking, until sauce is creamy and emulsified. Remove from heat.
lemon1. unsalted butter6 Tbsp
4
Just before pasta is al dente, scoop out 1½ cups pasta cooking liquid. Add ¾ cup pasta cooking liquid to cream sauce and return to medium heat. Using tongs, transfer spaghetti to pot with sauce (it’s okay if a little water comes along with it). Cook pasta, tossing often and adding 3 oz. finely grated Parmesan (about ¾ cup) little by little, until cheese is melted and sauce is creamy, about ⏱️ 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in reserved lemon juice. If sauce looks tight, add 1–2 Tbsp. more pasta cooking liquid (cream sauces tighten up very quickly as they cool, so it’s better to lean on the saucier side of things). Season with more salt, if needed.
. finely grated Parmesan (about ¾ cup)3 ozlemon1
5
Divide pasta among bowls. Season with freshly ground black pepper, then garnish with reserved lemon zest strips. Editor’s note: This lemon pasta recipe was first printed in September 2018; it has been edited for style. Head this way for more easy recipes for dinner tonight →
Freshly ground black pepperlemon1
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