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This pasta al limone has me dreaming of a loooong vacation on the island of Capri, surrounding by the ocean and lemon trees and twirling this pasta on my fork. Do they even serve this in Capri? Get outta here with that question, this is my dream!
It’s luxuriously creamy and bright and lemony and it’s the best quick summery meal. It’s a riff on one of my go-to pasta dishes, which is just cream that I boil and thicken and add salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese; stir in the pasta until the sauce is glossy and coats the pasta, thinning with a little pasta water if needed.
This version has the bright flavor of lemon to cut through the richness of cream, butter and Parm. I know many recipes are slightly simpler, using only butter or olive oil, lemon and the pasta water to emulsify, but I love the rich, velvety texture the cream adds. I personally don’t think the cream clouds the flavors of the lemon, but you could always add more zest and/or juice to amp it up even more. I’ll try the version with only olive oil/butter down the line and report back.
Let’s all go to Capri now, okay?
Pasta al Limone
- Yield: 4 servings
Description
Creamy, luxurious 5-ingredient pasta with the bright flavor of lemon, perfect for transporting you to the south of Italy, or pretending it’s summer all year long!
Ingredients
- 12 ounces spaghetti or other long, thin pasta
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lemon
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 3/4 cup (3 ounces) finely grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add the pasta, stirring occasionally, and cook 1 to 2 minutes less than the package directions (until very al dente). Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and drain the pasta.
- In the same pot, add the zest of 1 lemon and the cream; cook over medium heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture comes to a simmer, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until melted and the sauce is emulsified. Add 3/4 cup of the pasta water to the sauce and whisk to combine; add the drained pasta and toss to combine. Raise the heat to medium, and cook, tossing occasionally, until the sauce has thickened slightly and coats the pasta. Begin adding the grated Parmesan a bit at a time, tossing frequently, until the cheese has melted and the sauce has thickened. Taste for seasonings and adjust if necessary. Add the juice of the zested lemon and stir to combine. It’s best to serve this a little saucier than you normally would as it tends to tighten up as it cools; you can also serve this is warmed bowls to keep it fluid. Serve the pasta with extra Parmesan for sprinkling, freshly grated black pepper and more lemon zest, if desired.
Notes
Inspiration: Pasta al Limone on bonappetit.com
- Category: Pasta & Noodles, Vegetarian
This is definitely easier than the Bon Appetit instructions. Next time I’ll probably add some more herbs (garlic, basil, thyme, oregano, or maybe just some Italian seasoning) but it was lovely just with the salt and pepper. This is a keeper. Thank you for posting it!
Hi Carmen! Thank you so much for the feedback. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Amanda, instead of cream I would use Mascapone. Try it out!
Love greeting from Cologne
Great idea!