If you have linguine, lemons, butter, and parmesan cheese in your pantry, then you can whip up Pasta Limone in 20 minutes or less. This creamy lemon-infused pasta is bursting with bright lemon flavor and a luxurious butter sauce. Serve with a big green salad, some green veggies, and this dinner is complete.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword lemon pasta, creamy lemon pasta, pasta limone, pasta with lemon
Fill a large stock pot halfway full with water. It's important to only fill it half way so the cooking liquid becomes very starchy. Bring the water to a rolling boil. Season with salt. It should taste as salty as sea water. Add the pasta. Use tongs to make sure the pasta seperates. After it cooks a few minutes, use the tongs to seperate the noodles again. Cook the pasta until it's just UNDER aldente. It should still have a slight crunch to it. It will cook longer later.
Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the starchy cooking liquid. Set aside. Drain pasta.
Add pasta back to the pot along with lemon juice, salt, and 1 cup of hot pasta water. Turn the heat on low. While tossing the pasta with tongs or stirring with a wooden spoon, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time. Toss or stir until the butter has melted and incorporated into the sauce, then repeat with remaining butter. Once all the butter has been incorporated, add in the parmesan cheese, black pepper and lemon zest. Toss until the cheese melts. If needed, add more pasta water to loosen the sauce up.
Season with plenty of salt and pepper. Add parsley. Toss. Serve immediately.