Lemon Pasta

Lemon pasta is an evolution of Italian aglio olio with the addition of lemon zest, lemon juice, and optionally parmesan cheese.

The resulting sauce is rich, creamy, zesty, and refreshing, and paired with al dente Italian pasta creates a simple yet satisfying meal.

Have a bite, and you’ll be transported to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast, where lemons and pasta are staple ingredients.

You can serve this lemon pasta as is, folding in some freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Alternatively, follow our tip and add creamy cannellini beans and spinach to make an even tastier and nutritionally balanced meal.

Find the complete recipe with ingredients and instructions in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

Pasta

Lemon pasta is best with long-shaped pasta like spaghetti, linguine, bavette, reginette, fettuccine, tagliatelle, and angel hair pasta.

Pick Italian pasta made with 100% durum wheat semolina flour (not white flour).

Also, bronze-cut pasta is best because its rugged and dusty surface makes it stick to the sauce.

Lemon

You’ll need lemon zest and lemon juice.

Organic lemons are preferable since we are eating the zest. We recommend going for fresh lemon juice rather than bottled lemon juice.

Remember to save some lemon zest to garnish the pasta.

Olive oil

If you can, choose a good quality extra virgin olive oil. The quality of the ingredients in this simple lemon pasta recipe makes all the difference.

Garlic

Fresh garlic adds plenty of flavor and tang. You can grate, mince, or mash it with a garlic crusher.

Chili

We like this dish a little spicy. Add red hot chili pepper or red pepper flakes to make it so.

If you don’t like overly spicy dishes, you can substitute freshly ground black pepper for the chili.

Fresh herbs

Fresh parsley (flat-leaf or Italian parsley), finely chopped. Substitute fresh mint for parsley. We are not big fans of fresh basil in lemon pasta.

Parmesan cheese

Parmigiano-reggiano, grana padano, or pecorino romano are the best cheses for this lemon garlic pasta. A sprinkle brings all the other flavors together, adding plenty of umami and richness.

You can easily keep it out if you don’t want to add cheese. The pasta will be delicious, nevertheless.

Alternatively, you can add a dairy-free parmesan alternative.

Salt

We season the pasta water and the lemon sauce with sea salt.

Optional ingredients

Common additions to lemon pasta are butter, chicken, and shrimp; however, we encourage you to try lemon pasta with cannellini beans and a handful of spinach instead.

We cook beans and spinach in the lemon sauce before adding the pasta.

The result is a wholesome, creamy, healthy, tasty, and satisfying meal.

Find the complete recipe with ingredients and instructions in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

Cook the pasta

Boil the pasta in a large pot of salted water for two minutes less than instructed on the package.

Tip: for this recipe, we recommend cooking the pasta in less water than usual so that there’s more starch in the water, and that will make the sauce creamier.

Make the sauce

Add olive oil, minced garlic, grated lemon zest, and finely chopped chili to a large skillet.

Warm it slowly on low heat, then let the ingredients fry gently for 30 to 60 seconds without burning the garlic.

Turn the heat off, add the lemon juice, and wait for the pasta.

Tip: Only zest the yellow peel of the lemon; the white pith can be bitter.

Add the pasta

Reserve two cups of pasta water, drain the pasta, and add it to the sauce.

Add one cup of pasta cooking water and cook on medium heat, stirring often for about a minute or until the pasta is al dente.

Turn the heat off, add the finely chopped parsley and grated parmesan, and toss until the cheese melts.

Taste and adjust for salt; add more reserved pasta water if the pasta gets too dry.

Serve immediately with a sprinkle of lemon zest.

Lemon pasta with white beans and spinach

Fry one can of drained cannellini beans, two handfuls of spinach, and a pinch of salt with the lemon sauce for a couple of minutes or until the spinach wilt.

Add the pasta, grated parmesan, toss, and enjoy! The cannellini and the spinach make this easy lemon pasta recipe even creamier, tastier, and more nutritious.

Roasted cauliflower pasta

This lemon cauliflower pasta is a refreshing autumn and winter dish with roasted cauliflower, pinenuts, and a delicious lemon sauce.

Check out our roasted cauliflower pasta.

Creamy pasta al limone

This recipe is straight out of my grandma’s recipe notebook.

She would make this for my 96-year-old great-grandma when I was little, and I’d always steal some from her plate before she would sit down to eat it for lunch at noon.

You’ll love this recipe because it’s easy, creamy, and so tasty you’ll want to eat it daily.

Check out our creamy pasta al limone recipe.

Lemon ricotta pasta with spinach

Lemon ricotta pasta is a variation of pasta al limone that we always make.

It’s a ricotta-based sauce mixed with your favorite seasonal vegetables (we love peas, spinach, and broccoli for this one).

Like our other pasta recipes, this one is easy to make and a guaranteed-crowd pleaser.

Check out our lemon ricotta pasta recipe.

Lemon pasta is excellent as a quick lunch or easy dinner for the whole family. Try serving it with one of our delicious vegetable side dishes, such as:

• Steamed artichokes with a light mayo and salsa verde.
• Easy carrot salad with raisins and pineapple, a 5-minute side salad.
• Cucumber and tomato salad with Italian vinaigrette, a refreshing green side dish!
• Brussels sprouts salad that pairs well with pasta and soups.
• Roasted broccoli or roasted cauliflower.

Make ahead: this is not a good recipe to make ahead. It’s best right after it’s cooked.

Refrigerator: store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

Reheat: warm it in a pan with olive oil, adding water if necessary. The microwave also works.

Freezer: not suitable for freezing.

If you love quick and easy pasta meals, try one of these 20-min pasta recipes:

• Garlic and oil pasta: an easy 15-minute pasta recipe.
• Mushroom pasta: a reader favorite and easy veggie-packed pasta.
• Broccoli pasta
• Pasta Pomodoro: 6 ingredients and 15 minutes of cooking.
• Red pepper pasta with a quick and creamy 20-minute sauce.

These recipes are quick, easy, and with a few ingredients – perfect for weeknight dinners:

• Lemon tofu (tofu slices, lemon, cornstarch, flour, garlic, thyme, etc.)
• Lemon cake (flour, sugar, lemon zest, plant milk, olive oil, etc.)
• Vanilla lemon custard (coconut milk, plant milk, vanilla extract, lemon zest, etc.)
• Couscous salad (lemon juice, chickpeas, cucumber, olives, bell pepper, etc.)

For many more pasta ideas, check out our pasta category page.