The Ultimate Guide to Making Perfect Lemon Pasta
Learn how to make restaurant-quality lemon pasta at home with our simple recipe. Fresh lemon, butter, and garlic create a silky sauce that's ready in 22 minutes—perfect for busy weeknights.
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh or dried pasta
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- Zest of 2 lemons
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Add pasta and cook until al dente, following package directions for timing.
- While pasta cooks, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat.
- Add minced garlic to the butter and cook for 1 minute until fragrant, stirring frequently.
- Zest both lemons directly into the skillet, then squeeze the lemon juice into a measuring cup—you should have about ½ cup.
- Pour the lemon juice into the skillet with the butter and garlic mixture, stirring gently to combine.
- Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining the cooked pasta.
- Transfer the drained pasta to the skillet with the lemon sauce.
- Toss everything together, adding pasta water gradually until the sauce coats the pasta evenly and becomes silky.
- Remove the skillet from heat.
- Stir in half of the Parmesan cheese.
- Season with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
- Divide among serving bowls and top with remaining Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.
- Serve immediately while hot.