Best Creamy Lemon Pasta
Silky lemon cream sauce with garlic and Parmesan over spaghetti — light, rich, restaurant-quality in 20 minutes.
Ingredients
- Pasta & Base:
- 12 oz 340 g spaghetti or linguine
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- Zest + juice of 2 lemons ≈¼ cup juice
- Creamy Sauce:
- 1½ cups 360 ml heavy cream
- 1 cup 100 g freshly grated Parmesan (plus extra for serving)
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- Pinch red pepper flakes optional
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
- Cook pasta → reserve water.
- Sauté garlic → add cream + lemon.
- Simmer → melt Parmesan + butter.
- Toss pasta in sauce + pasta water for gloss.
- Serve with extra Parm + zest.
Notes
- Fresh lemon zest = bright flavor pop
- Reserved pasta water = silky sauce
- Reheats with splash cream
- Chicken or shrimp addition = elite
- Day 2 cold pasta salad = bonus