For a quick and delicious dinner, make this Lemon Garlic Pasta recipe in just 15 minutes!
Rich and buttery lemon pasta with garlic is tossed with fresh parsley and then sprinkled with a generous amount of fresh parmesan. So simple, but tastes sublime!
Welcome to my latest weeknight pasta dish obsession, lemon garlic pasta on repeat.
Table of Contents
Why you will love this recipe
- So fast, basically done in the time it takes to cook pasta!
- Tastes amazing.
What you need to make this buttery lemon pasta
*Please see the recipe card below for exact quantities and detailed instructions
- lemon - we are going to use both the lemon juice and the zest
- garlic cloves - remove the centre "core" of the garlic clove for a milder garlic taste (see this post for more information)
- olive oil
- salted butter
- dried spaghetti pasta
- fresh parmesan cheese
- fresh black pepper
- a pinch of salt
*Please see the recipe card below for exact quantities and detailed instructions
How to make lemon garlic pasta
- Cook the pasta in plenty of salted water.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil and butter in a pan, then fry garlic and remove from heat.
- Once the pasta is cooked, drain (reserving some of the pasta water) and add to the melted butter and garlic.
- Toss to coat, then add lemon juice, lemon zest, parsley and black pepper and mix to combine.
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Top tips for the best result
- The zest of the lemon is the yellow-coloured outer skin of the lemon (you don't want any of the white "pith" that sits just underneath, this is bitter).
- Watch the garlic carefully, it cooks very quickly and doesn't take long to burn.
- Make this fast pasta dish even quicker by using fresh pasta (from the refrigerated section of the supermarket) rather than dried.
Leftovers
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Variations
- Substitute spaghetti for another type of pasta like fettuccine or pappardelle.
- Swap out the fresh parsley for roughly chopped fresh basil leaves.
- Add some protein like cooked shrimp (prawns), salmon or chicken.
- Toss in some cooked veggies such as zucchini, asparagus or peas.
Frequently asked questions
Should you boil water before putting pasta in?
Yes.
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Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce - 3 steps, 4 ingredients and 5 minutes to make!
📖 Recipe
Lemon Garlic Pasta
Rich, buttery lemon garlic pasta with fresh parsley, finished with plenty of parmesan cheese makes a quick and simple weeknight dinner.
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Serving:
Calories: 212kcal
Ingredients
- 400 g dry spaghetti pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 60 g salted butter
- 5 garlic cloves cores removed and crushed
- 1 large lemon juice and zest grated
- a few grinds of fresh black pepper
- 50 g fresh parmesan cheese grated
- 2 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves
- fine salt to taste
Watch me make this recipe
Instructions
- Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water according to package directions.400 g dry spaghetti pasta
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet or frypan over medium heat, then add garlic and fry for 30 seconds, and then switch off.1 tablespoon olive oil60 g salted butter5 garlic cloves
- Once pasta is cooked, scoop out about a cupful of pasta water and then drain off the remaining water.
- Immediately add pasta to the pan with the butter and garlic, tossing to coat.
- Stir in fresh lemon juice, grated lemon zest, black pepper and parsley, adding in a little pasta water if it seems too dry and salt if needed.1 large lemona few grinds of fresh black pepper2 tablespoon chopped parsley leavesfine salt
- Divide pasta between serving bowls, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve.50 g fresh parmesan cheese
Notes
- The timing for this recipe is for using dried pasta noodles, you can make it even quicker by using fresh pasta (from the refrigerated section of the supermarket).
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Calories: 212kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 298mg | Potassium: 67mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 479IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 165mg | Iron: 0.4mg
A lovely light dinner the lemon was delicious.
Glad you enjoyed it ted!