This Pasta al Limone, or Creamy Lemon Pasta recipe is a bright, zesty pasta dish made with fresh lemon zest, lemon juice, butter, and Parmesan cheese. An immediate transport to the Amalfi Coast, this dish is one for the summer menu, all season long! 

What is Pasta al Limone

Pasta al limone is a traditional Italian pasta dish featuring pasta tossed in a creamy lemon sauce. The sauce is typically made with fresh lemon juice, zest, butter, and cream or cheese, creating a bright, tangy, and rich flavor that beautifully coats the pasta.

This dish originated in southern Italy, particularly along the Amalfi Coast and in Sicily, where they are known for their abundance of lemon groves. 

What Makes This Recipe Great

Pasta al Limone is a classic coastal Italian dish traditionally served as a first course rather than a full meal. Often, we take an all-or-nothing approach to pasta, thinking, “I can’t eat carbs because they’re bad for me or make me gain weight.” While we need carbs, we can’t always eat unlimited amounts. A 2-ounce portion of pasta is not the typical serving size in US restaurants, but you can easily control your portion at home and enhance the dish with cooked vegetables like zucchini, asparagus, or spinach.

I am not afraid to use a little heavy cream for special occasions if it enhances the dish, but the technique I teach in this recipe shows that you don’t need it. In fact, I believe this dish tastes better without cream! It’s full of bright lemon flavor and becomes super creamy with a little trick: starchy pasta water!

As always, you can substitute any pasta recipe with a pasta alternative. Additionally, you can replace part of the pasta with vegetables. For a unique twist, I sometimes add a little fresh mint (add in Step 8). Now, let’s make this delicious recipe!

Ingredient Notes

All you need are a few simple ingredients, a large pot of salted water, and a pan! A lot of pasta al limone recipes use heavy cream, but this silky sauce comes together with a different trick: pasta cooking water! The resulting dish is as creamy as they come, with the perfect balance of tangy lemon flavor. 

• pasta, preferably spaghetti, bucatini, or linguine: Use any long pasta noodles you like. Feel free to do half pasta and half zucchini noodles.

• kosher salt: To season the pasta water.

• unrefined, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil 

• fresh lemons: Our star ingredient! We will be using whole lemons for both the fresh lemon juice and the lemon zest. 

• unsalted butter or plant butter

• grated parmesan cheese or pecorino cheese

• pinch of salt to taste: I recommend sea salt. 

• black pepper to taste

• garnish with fresh herbs like basil leaves or mint leaves

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once it’s at a raging boil, season the water with 1 tablespoon of kosher salt. 
2. Cook the pasta for 3 minutes less than the package instructions recommend. For instance, if the package states 11 minutes, cook for 8 minutes.
3. While the pasta cooks, place the olive oil into a large saute pan or large skillet and heat over medium heat.
4. Add the lemon zest of 2 lemons (just eyeball it) to the large pan along with half of the lemon juice, and all of the butter, and season with black pepper and salt to taste.
5. Once your pasta is ready (it’s not quite al dente yet), save two cups of the pasta cooking liquid, drain the pasta, and place it in the pan with the lemon mixture. Or you can pull out the pasta with tongs and leave the pasta water in the pot.
6. Pour 1 ⅓ cups pasta-cooking water into the pan with the lemon and pasta, and turn the heat to high. You will cook the pasta in the skillet for 3 minutes. This is when the pasta will release a lot of starch to help make the dish creamy and eliminate the need to add actual cream.  
7. For the first minute, constantly stir while the pasta water evaporates. 
8. Then add the remaining lemon zest into the pan.
9. With 45 seconds to go, add in the rest of the reserved lemon juice. Keep stirring the pasta on high heat. Stir until most, but not all the water has evaporated. You want some starchy water to remain.
10. Taste the cooked pasta. When it is perfectly al dente, remove the pan from the heat and add ¾ cup of cheese. Toss to coat until it is creamy and silky. Add extra pasta water as needed. Zest the last lemon on top and serve immediately with extra cheese on the side. 

Recipe Tips

• Mint feels fresh and light, but basil is nice too.
• You can also go off-script and add fresh veggies like peas, sauteed zucchini, or protein like shrimp or chicken. 
• Make it vegan: use plant butter and vegan Parmesan (I like Violife vegan Parmesan).
• If you use spaghetti squash or a spiralized vegetable instead of pasta, you’ll need a richer liquid than just water.  Consider half unsweetened and unflavored cashew milk or soy milk and half water in the pan to create a sauce.  Another thickening agent to mimic creaminess is a dollop of Kite Hill almond milk cream cheese.  

Storage Tips

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat gently in a skillet for a few minutes or the microwave for 1-2 minutes with a little butter to break up any clumps. Give it a good stir to allow the lemony sauce to coat the pasta again and serve. 

More Favorite Pasta Dishes

Pasta alla Vodka Recipe

Pasta con le Sarde Recipe

Cacio e Pepe Recipe

Pasta with Melted Zucchini Sauce Recipe

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