Lemon Cream Pasta
This quick and easy, Lemon Cream Pasta, is delicious, creamy, tangy and cheesy. It is a very simple dish to make but packed with a lot of flavors. It takes only 30 minutes to cook from start to finish.
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
- 1 lb pasta noodles (fettucine, linguine, spaghetti or egg noodles)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 ladle of pasta water
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- Kosher salt, or more, to taste
- 1 sprig of basil (optional)
- lemon peel strips (optional)
In a sauce pot, fill it with water 3/4 of the way then bring to a boil. Add the linguine pasta and a generous amount of salt to the boiling water, stirring often to separate noodles, cook until al dente, about 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat.
Just before the pasta is done cooking, in a different pan, over medium low heat, add oil, butter and lemon zest, stir until butter is melted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream and a ladle of pasta water and cook for about 5 minutes. Using a pair of tongs, pick up linguine from the pot and transfer all to the pan; tossing often to coat. Drizzle with lemon juice and toss to coat. Add parmesan cheese, a little at a time then toss to combine. Add salt, to taste. Remove from heat.
Divide among bowls. Optional: Garnish with basil or lemon peel strips. Serve immediately.
If you'd like to garnish with lemon strips, here's how to make lemon strips. Using a vegetable peeler, peel two strips then cut to make thin strips similar to the length and width of a match stick.