This super easy Lemon Garlic Parmesan Pasta is ready in under 20 minutes and will be the hero of your dinner! It delivers bold, vibrant flavors and is the kind of pasta dish you will turn to on a busy weeknight.
Ingredients for Lemon Garlic Parmesan Pasta
- Dry Spaghetti Noodles, or any other long, slender pasta such as fettucine or linguine.
- Olive Oil. Use a good, high quality, flavorful olive oil here as it is the base of the sauce.
- Butter. I use salted butter here, if you use unsalted you may want to add a little salt to the dish.
- Lemons. Use fresh, whole lemons in this dish. Bottled lemon just just isn’t the same.
- Fresh Parsley. You want to use perky, bright green Italian parsley.
- Garlic. Fresh is always best when it comes to garlic. Pre-minced or peeled garlic has lost most of its flavor.
- Parmesan or Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese. Grate your own – it’s worth the extra effort. Pre-grated cheese has more of a chalky texture and flavor and won’t melt the same.
- Heavy Cream. What can I say? I have figured out that Heavy Cream is one of my favorite ingredients. It adds an extra richness to this dish. If you are watching your waistline, just omit.
Difference Between Parmesan and Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese
Italy has very strict regulations on what can be designated as Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese. It must come from a particular region and can only be made with specific ingredients. According to Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano-Reggiano, these areas includes the Parma, Modena, and Reggio Emilia regions, with some areas of Bologna and Mantua included and is made from skimmed cow’s milk, salt, and an enzyme called rennet for curdling.
Parmigiano-Reggiano must also be aged a minimum of one year and up to three years.
Parmesan Cheese, in the United States, on the other hand is not regulated and is considered an imitation or alternative to Parmigiano-Reggiano. Also, since it is not regulated, it tends to be cheaper in price than Parmigiano-Reggiano. It provides a similar taste and texture at a lower price point.
Both Parmigiano-Reggiano and Parmesan Cheese are complex cheeses that have a sharp, complete, nutty, rich, fruity, and bold undertones. It is somewhat gritty in texture and has a strong umami flavor.
How to Make Lemon Garlic Parmesan Pasta
1. Boil the pasta in a large, well salted pot of boiling water. You want the pasta to be able to move around so that it doesn’t stick. Cooking according to package directions, drain, reserving 1/2 of pasta water.
2. While the pasta is boiling, prep the rest of your ingredients.
3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet, melt the butter, and add the garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. You don’t want it to brown as it will turn bitter.
4. Add cooked pasta together with 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water, tossing well to coat. Add more water if the pasta seems dry.
5. Add heavy cream and toss well to coat.
6. Add lemon juice, cheese, Italian parsley, and fresh ground pepper. Toss well and serve.
If you love this Lemon Garlic Parmesan Pasta you may also enjoy:
If you love it, leave a comment below. I would love to hear from you and this would help me with future recipes!
Contact me if you would like to see any of your childhood favorites updated or reinvented.
Lemon Garlic Parmesan Pasta
Ingredients
- 16 oz spaghetti or pasta of your choice
- 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
- 2 tsbp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsbp butter
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 2-3 large lemons
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup Italian parsley chopped
- Fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large pot bring salted water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add spaghetti and cook according to package directions. Drain pasta reserving 1/2 of the pasta water.
- While the pasta is cooking, prep the rest of your ingredients and heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 second.
- Add the cooked pasta and ¼ cup of reserved pasta water; toss to coat. Cook and stir until heated through, adding more pasta water if pasta seems too dry.
- Add heavy cream and toss well.
- Add lemon juice, parmesan cheese, Italian parsley, and fresh ground pepper. Toss well and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
If you love it, leave a comment below. I would love to hear from you and this would help me with future recipes!
Contact me if you would like to see any of your childhood favorites updated or reinvented.
