Traditional Italian pasta with a modern twist.
If you’re a lemon lover, this recipe was made for you. Pasta al Limone or Lemon Pasta is a bright, creamy Italian pasta dish that’s fancy enough to impress your guests and simple enough for a quick weeknight meal. It comes together in less than 30 minutes and typically served as a main dish or a side.
What is Pasta al Limone?
Translated as “lemon scented” in Italian, Pasta al Limone is a light and refreshing lemony pasta dish that originated off the Amalfi Coast of Italy. It’s known for its creamy sauce and citrus notes.
Why you'll love my recipe.
Simple ingredients
Pasta al Limon is easy to prepare and uses a small handful of pantry ingredients. Ideal for weeknight dinners or last-minute meals.
Light and flavorful
This dish gets its bright and refreshing flavors from fresh lemon zest and lemon juice. It’s citrus notes create the perfect tangy balance in its creamy sauce.
Ingredient notes.
Pasta
Choose high quality pasta. I used DeLallo Pasta Fusilli Col Bucco. It’s my favorite shape for creamy sauces like this one. The hole down its center and spiral shape allows sauces to cling to its ridges and crevices, ensuring that each bite is fully coated in sauce. Did you know that the durum wheat used in DeLallo Foods pasta is made in Italy, milled into coarse ground semolina flour and then carefully kneaded with cold, fresh, mineral-rich mountain spring water? How amazing is that!
Lemon zest and juice
You’ll need fresh lemons for their zest and juice.
Butter
Butter adds richness and silkiness to the sauce.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Traditionally used in Italian recipes. DeLallo Extra Virgin Olive Oil is made from the first cold press of hand-selected Italian olives. Grown in Puglia, Italy, these olives are pressed within hours of harvest to capture the freshest raw olive flavor. Wow! Does your olive oil do that?!
Parmesan
Fresh parmesan only! You can taste the difference.
Heavy cream
Although not traditional, heavy cream is used in many American Italian pasta recipes.
For the rest of the ingredients, please see the recipe index card below!
How to make Pasta al Limone.
The section below is a quick overview of how to make this recipe. For full details, see recipe index card below!
Cook the pasta
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water before draining.
Prepare the sauce
In a large pan or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add extra virgin olive oil, lemon zest and lemon juice, stirring to combine. Pour in heavy cream and pasta water. Let the sauce come to a simmer until slightly thickened. Then, add freshly grated parmesan, stirring until melted and smooth.
Note: I’ve noticed the sauce thickens faster when using a larger surface pan versus an actual, smaller pot. You also need a large pan because you will continue cooking the pasta directly in the sauce. The starches from the pasta also helps thicken the sauce so we need plenty of room.
Combine the pasta and sauce
Add the cooked pasta to the pan, tossing evenly to coat. Garnish with freshly cracked black pepper, parsley and more parmesan. Best served hot.
Why did my leftover pasta sauce curdle when I reheated it?
Reheating leftover Pasta al Limone can be tricky because of its delicate, creamy lemon-based sauce. The texture of the sauce might change because of two reasons:
Separation of the sauce
The emulsion of fat from butter or cream and the lemon juice may break when reheated. This results in a greasy or curdled sauce. Rehydrating with liquid and reheating gently can help prevent this.
Absorption of sauce
Pasta continues to absorb liquid as it sits, leaving the dish drier and changing the sauce-to-pasta ratio.
How to reheat leftover pasta.
Here are a few methods of preheating leftover pasta:
Stovetop (preferred method)
Place the pasta in a nonstick skillet or saucepan. Add a splash of water, cream or milk to rehydrate the sauce and prevent it from becoming too thick or grainy. Heat over low heat, stirring gently until warmed though.
Microwave
Transfer the pasta to a microwave safe dish. Add a small amount of water and stir. Cover with a lid to trap steam and heat in 20 second intervals, stirring between each.
Expert tips from my test kitchen.
Freshly grated parmesan
Freshly grated parmesan melts instantly into the sauce. There’s a sneaky ingredient hiding in pre-shredded cheeses. You will almost always find the ingredient potato starch, natamycin or cellulose. It is known for it’s anti-caking and moisture absorbing properties and everything we don’t want in our pasta sauce.
Pasta water
If you allow leftover pasta water sit in the pot, you’ll find it turning gelatinous and murky. That is due to the starches released from the pasta during cooking. It’s a salty, starchy liquid gold that turns an ordinary pasta sauce into a silky, smooth one.
Use lemon zest and juice
Lemon zest contains aromatic oils that provide a burst of sweet citrus flavor without overwhelming acidity. It’s what gives this pasta dish a light and refreshing taste.
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Pasta al Limone (Lemon Pasta)
Ingredients
- 10 ounces fusilli col bucco pasta
- 1/4 cup pasta water
- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large lemon zested and juiced
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Please go back and read my ingredient notes and expert tips before beginning.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente. We will finish cooking it in the sauce. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water before draining. Meanwhile, freshly grate the parmesan, finely grate the lemon zest and juice the lemon.10 ounces fusilli col bucco pasta, 1/4 cup pasta water
- In a large pan or skillet over medium heat, melt the butter over medium heat. Add extra virgin olive oil, lemon zest and lemon juice, stirring to combine. Simmer for about 5 minutes to allow the zest to release its oils.Note: the reason I cook the sauce in a large pan is for two reasons. I've noticed the sauce thickens faster when using a larger surface pan versus an actual, smaller pot. You also need a large pan because you will continue cooking the pasta directly in the sauce. The starches from the pasta also helps thicken the sauce so we need plenty of room.3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 large lemon
- Pour in heavy cream and pasta water. Let the sauce come to a simmer until slightly thickened. This can take as little as 5 minutes but up to 10 minutes. Then, add freshly grated parmesan, stirring until melted and smooth. It will continue to thicken as it cools.2 cups heavy whipping cream, 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
- Add the cooked pasta to the pan, tossing evenly to coat. Garnish with freshly cracked black pepper and parmesan. Best served hot.freshly cracked black pepper
Nutrition
The provided nutritional value above is an estimate per serving. 100% accuracy is not guarenteed. Please see Nutrition Information Disclaimer in our Privacy Policy.
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
DeLallo pasta and EVOO is the best choice for pasta dishes! This recipe did not disappoint!
We can’t argue with that!
As always perfect. It always feels like we’re dining in some restaurant!
Thank you, Ekaterina! We’re so happy to hear this! 🙂
This recipe was the perfect amount of cream and lemon. I thought it was going to be overpowering but with every bite, I wanted more! 10/10
Thank you for the kind review! We’re so glad you enjoyed our lemon pasta. It’s one of our top 5 favorites!
When I saw this recipe posted, I knew it was the first thing to try for dinner this week. My family is obsessed!! We bought the DeLallo pasta and EVOO and it was magnificent. I can taste the quality difference! Never going back!!
Thank you for the lovely review, Dae! We love DeLallo and approve this message! 🙂