Pasta al Limone - a creamy, fresh and delicious pasta recipe that's perfect for summer! The creamy lemon pasta sauce is bright and zesty and super quick to make. Toss with your favourite long pasta for a delicious and quick weeknight meal!
Pasta al limone (lemon pasta) is such an easy recipe to whip up on busy weeknights or a lazy summer's evening.
It's creamy and comforting without being heavy and has the most delicious, fresh, bright and zesty lemon flavour.
All you need is 6 simple ingredients, it's so quick and easy. See the full recipe below including step by step photos, tips and video tutorial, enjoy!
Ingredients - what you need
See the photo below that shows you all the ingredients you need (except salt and pepper) plus some helpful tips.
- Pasta - any long pasta shape works best, we used linguine.
- Lemon - you'll need the zest and juice of 1 large lemon for a fresh and zingy flavour.
- Heavy cream - make sure you use full fat cream otherwise it may curdle with the lemon juice.
- Garlic - always use fresh garlic, don't substitute ground or powdered garlic.
- Parmesan - use freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
- Butter - butter is used instead of oil to fry the garlic, you don't need a lot but it really adds flavour and richness.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente (around 7-8 minutes).
Meanwhile, to make the sauce add the butter to a large pan. Once melted add the sliced garlic and fry for about 1 minute until fragrant (photos 1 & 2).
Add the zest and juice of one lemon and stir to combine in the garlic butter. Add the cream and parmesan and stir (photos 3 & 4).
Simmer the creamy lemon sauce for 1-2 minutes until thickened slightly. Season the sauce with a pinch of salt and pepper then add the drained cooked pasta making sure to reserve some pasta water to emulsify the sauce (photo 5).
Toss the pasta in the sauce adding a splash of pasta water as needed (you might not need it all), serve (photo 6).
Recipe tips and FAQs
- Use a fresh lemon - don't use a lemon that feels soft it should be firm and fresh.
- Pasta - use any long pasta shape, the sauce won't coat short pasta as well.
- Use pasta water - pasta water helps to emulsify sauces and adds a lot of flavour it's especially helpful in creamy sauces like this which can thicken quickly.
Yes, I always recommend using heavy cream (double cream) as lower-fat cream might curdle with the lemon juice.
Leftovers don't keep well because the cream thickens as it cools. I recommend eating the pasta as soon as it's served.
More quick pasta recipes to try
- Penne Pomodoro (Tomato Basil Pasta)
- Penne all'Arrabbiata: Spicy Italian Tomato Pasta
- Spaghetti Aglio e Olio: Garlic & Oil Pasta
- Pasta alla Boscaiola (Sausage & Mushroom)
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Pasta al Limone
Ingredients
- 14 oz linguine or other long pasta (400g)
- ½ cup heavy cream (120ml)
- 1 lemon juice and zest
- 2 cloves garlic finely sliced
- 2 tablespoon butter (30g)
- ½ cup grated parmesan (25g)
- ½ cup reserved pasta water (120ml)
- salt and pepper to season
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente (around 7-8 minutes).
- Meanwhile, to make the sauce add the butter to a large pan. Once melted add the sliced garlic and fry for about 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the zest and juice of one lemon and stir to combine in the garlic butter. Add the cream and parmesan and stir.
- Simmer the creamy lemon sauce for 1-2 minutes until thickened slightly. Season the sauce with a pinch of salt and pepper then add the drained cooked pasta making sure to reserve some pasta water to emulsify the sauce.
- Toss the pasta in the sauce adding a splash of pasta water as needed (you might not need it all), serve.
Notes
- Use a fresh lemon - don't use a lemon that feels soft it should be firm and fresh.
- Pasta - use any long pasta shape, the sauce won't coat short pasta as well.
- Use pasta water - pasta water helps to emulsify sauces and adds a lot of flavour, it's especially helpful in creamy sauces like this which can thicken quickly
- Serving & storage - serve immediately, I don't recommend reheating and do not freeze.
Nutrition
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Eha
Excellent recipe the lemon flavor is delicious!
Emily
Thanks so much Eha, so happy you enjoyed it!