Pasta al Limone.
There’s so much to love about Pasta al Limone. The humble and comforting mouthful of perfectly cooked pasta with a silky cream sauce brightened with fresh lemon are simple flavours working at their finest.
Pasta al Limone.
Pasta al Limone.
Pasta al Limone.
This dish is a classic in the world of pasta, and there’s a reason for it. Pasta al Limone (Lemon Pasta) is simple, delicious and like so much of Italian cooking, consisting of just a few good quality ingredients brought together in a thoughtful way with love and care.
My twist on this dish is adding a little sour cream, traditionally the sauce doesn’t have any cream, although plenty of recipes include it. I feel that a little sour cream adds an indulgent spin that makes it extra luxurious, but feel free to skip this step and add a little more pasta water and lemon juice, letting it bubble and thicken to make a sauce.
The key to nailing this dish is to make sure your pasta is cooked perfectly al dente, and the sauce consistency is at goldilocks level - not too thick, not too thin - just right. You want the cheesy flavour coming through but not overpowering the sharp citrus notes from the lemon.
If you love a good simple pasta dish that you can pull together with a few ingredients and a spare 30 minutes, then my Posh Pasta Aglio e Olio, Bucatini with Cavolo Nero or Creamy Tomato Chilli Pasta are a must.
A delicious addition to this recipe is to add prawns or a little white wine, extra herbs or chilli.
It's really yummy
Ingredients and substitutions
How to make it - step by step!
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, cook the spaghetti to packet instructions, undercooking by a couple of minutes to finish cooking in the sauce.
Meanwhile, in a large pan, heat a combination of olive oil and butter over a medium heat. Add in garlic, letting it sizzle and release its aromatic fragrance for about 2 minutes. The garlic should turn golden but not brown.
Add lemon juice and most of the lemon zest into the sauce, reserving a small amount for garnish. Turn the heat down to low, and stir in sour cream and finely grated parmesan cheese. Season the mixture with a balanced amount of salt and pepper.
Allow the combined ingredients to gently come to a low simmer to thicken up the sauce and allow the flavors to meld together.
Add the cooked and drained spaghetti into the pan with the sauce. Add some of the reserved pasta water. Gently toss and combine the pasta with the sauce until each strand is thoroughly coated.
Divide the pasta between individual plates. For finishing touches, shower extra grated parmesan over the top, adding a generous sprinkle of black pepper. Finally, use the remaining lemon zest as a garnish.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, cook the spaghetti to packet instructions, undercooking by a couple of minutes to finish cooking in the sauce.
Meanwhile, in a large pan, heat a combination of olive oil and butter over a medium heat. Add in garlic, letting it sizzle and release its aromatic fragrance for about 2 minutes. The garlic should turn golden but not brown.
Add lemon juice and most of the lemon zest into the sauce, reserving a small amount for garnish. Turn the heat down to low, and stir in sour cream and finely grated parmesan cheese. Season the mixture with a balanced amount of salt and pepper.
Allow the combined ingredients to gently come to a low simmer to thicken up the sauce and allow the flavors to meld together.
Add the cooked and drained spaghetti into the pan with the sauce. Add some of the reserved pasta water. Gently toss and combine the pasta with the sauce until each strand is thoroughly coated.
Divide the pasta between individual plates. For finishing touches, shower extra grated parmesan over the top, adding a generous sprinkle of black pepper. Finally, use the remaining lemon zest as a garnish.
Watch the how to video
Watch the how to video
Pasta al Limone.
- 400g dried spaghetti
- 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp sea salt and black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 50g butter
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, plus extra to serve
- 1/2 cup pasta water
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, cook the spaghetti to packet instructions, undercooking by a couple of minutes to finish cooking in the sauce
- Reserve some pasta water, then drain pasta
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil and butter in a large pan over medium heat, add in garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, then add in the lemon juice and most of the lemon zest (leave a little for garnish), sour cream, parmesan and salt and pepper. Stir to combine
- Allow to come to a gentle, bubbling simmer for about five minutes for everything to thicken up and the flavours to meld together
- Add in the cooked pasta and reserved pasta water, toss through. Allow to cook together for a minute or two until pasta is cooked perfectly
- Divide pasta between plates, top extra parmesan, pepper and remaining lemon zest.