Can you tell how delicious this creamy lemon garlic pasta is through the screen? This pasta al limone takes me right back to the Amalfi coast, and oh, how I wish I could stay there forever! Where they make everything with fresh ingredients, even the pasta! Twirly forkfuls of creamy lemon garlic pasta – lemon garlic like you’ve never had it before. If you’re thinking this is one of those recipes that has a tangy lemon flavor exploding from every corner, think again. This is all the bright, citrusy notes of fresh lemon zest rolled into a creamy slightly garlicky sauce without the punch of lemon juice. Just like they serve it in Positano! The secret is to use way more lemon zest than juice so though it’s definitely lemony, it won’t make you pucker. When the weather is warm, serve it up with a boatload of fresh basil. I promise it’s the perfect, simple pasta dish to make your beau for date night dinner in or Valentine’s Day!
Ingredients for Creamy Lemon Garlic Pasta:
Pasta: You can use any shape of noodles you like for this recipe. I prefer to use something long, like spaghetti, linguine, or spaghettini, though truth be told, almost any shape will work. More ideas are below. Pasta instructions are to cook to al dente and reserve some of that starchy pasta water to make the sauce later! Gluten-free pasta may also work for this recipe, however, I haven’t tested it, so I can’t say with 100% certainty.Butter + Olive Oil: You’ll need both of these ingredients as the starter for the lemon garlic butter sauce. We’ll add a cold knob of butter with minced garlic and lemon zest to a pan and slowly let the flavors infuse into the butter on the lowest heat setting as the butter melts.Minced garlic: I highly recommend using fresh garlic for this recipe. You can mince the garlic with a knife or press it through a garlic press. I would avoid using the stuff in a jar as it contains other ingredients. When you infuse the butter and extra virgin olive oil, you want to use fresh garlic for the best flavor. Also, feel free to make this as garlicky as you’d like. I typically recommend 5 garlic cloves, so that the garlic flavor doesn’t overpower the lemon in every bite. However, you could push this to 8 cloves if you prefer to go heavier on the garlic!Red Pepper Flakes: Adds flavor and the babiest of kicks to the lemon butter sauce.Lemons: You’ll need lemons for both the zest and the fresh lemon juice. We’ll peel the lemons in two different ways. First, you’ll want to use a vegetable peeler to make large peels to infuse the butter with. Then, we’ll use our zester for the rest of the lemon zest that will flavor this easy recipe. I’m talking at least a heaping tablespoon at the end, maybe even more!Heavy Cream: will go in towards the end to make the sauce creamy. Be sure to use heavy cream (also called heavy whipping cream) or any other kind of cream product with a minimum of 36% dairy fat.Grated Parmesan Cheese: Helps thicken the cream sauce towards the end.Fresh herbs for topping: Fresh parsley or basil make an additional topping if you’re looking to add a fresh ingredient to the dish right at the end.
How to make this lemon pasta recipe
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