What does the pasta water do?

When pasta cooks, it releases starch into the water (that is what makes it a little cloudy). And since hopefully you have thoroughly salted your water, at the end of the pasta cooking time you have a starchy, salty water that is ABSOLUTELY PERFECT for making or loosening up a light pasta sauce. It's truly magical.

How do I peel and zest a lemon?

Start with the zesting! There are all kinds of fancy lemon zesting tools out there, but I love my microplane zester - it does the job quickly and you can also use it for cheese. Simply drag the lemon over the zester and little chopped lemon peel pieces will come out the other side. As for juicing, you can get as fancy as having a citrus juicer that squishes the juice out and leaves the seeds, or you can simply squeeze that lemon juice into a prep bowl with your hands.

Can this recipe be made ahead of time?

Technically yes...store it in the fridge and reheat it slowly over medium low heat...but it is at its very best when you first make it. And it is super speedy!

Have a question that I didn't cover?

Pop your question in the Comments section under the recipe card and I will answer pronto!

Creamy Lemon Pasta in Less Than Thirty Minutes

Creamy Lemon Pasta

Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

This decadent but delicious recipe for creamy lemon pasta has all the elements of classic Alfredo sauce, but with a zing of lemon.

Author: Kate Morgan Jackson
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 2 servings 1x
Category: Dinner
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale

6 ounces linguine
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
zest and juice from 2 lemons
1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese, plus a little extra for garnish
Freshly ground pepper
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions in heavily salted water. Scoop out a cup of the pasta water before you drain it, then drain and set aside while you make the sauce.
Pour 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water and the cream into a large deep skillet and bring to a simmer. Add the pasta to the skillet and toss. Add butter, half the lemon zest, the lemon juice and the cheese and toss again.
Cover the skillet, turn off the heat, and let everything sit for 2 minutes. Uncover and toss it again, adding a little more of the pasta water if the sauce needs thinning out. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
Divide pasta among warmed plates and garnish with parsley, the remaining lemon zest and a scattering of parmesan cheese. Twirl, taste and happy sigh.

Notes

- Pasta: We like linguine for this recipe but it will work with pretty much any pasta you have on hand.

- Lemons: Look for lemons that are firm but with a little give to them. Pro tip: if you pop your lemons in the microwave for 30 seconds before you juice them them they will get softer and easier to juice. PRO TIP: If you want a milder lemon taste, you can use the juice from one lemon and/or leave out the zest.

- Parmesan Cheese: As always, we recommend fresh grated parm if you can get it!

- Cream: You do need to use heavy cream (also known as whipping cream) for this recipe, but just a little!

Find it online: https://www.framedcooks.com/creamy-lemon-pasta-2/