Sometimes simple is best. This classic Italian Pasta al Limone is pretty much as simple as it gets. You only need a few ingredients to create this delicious and bright Pasta al Limone. Butter, Parmigiano Reggiano, Lemons, and Pasta come together to create this perfect pasta dish. Great for when you have minimal ingredients on hand.
The secret to the sauce is to make sure that you reserve a little of the pasta water. The starchy pasta water melds with cheese, lemon juice, and butter to create a delicious and light sauce – no cream required!
Some tips for a great Pasta al Limone
- Cook the pasta until just shy of al dente then finish the pasta directly in the sauce
- Add the pasta water to the sauce to finish cooking the pasta and to create your sauce
- Use a decent brand of Pasta for this
- Lemon zest brightens everything up – don’t skip this
- Butter is a necessary ingredient here
- Make sure you use true Parmigiano Reggiano – you know it’s the real stuff if it is stamped on the rind
- Serve this dish immediately. Pasta al Limone waits for no-one
Another tip:
Keep the rind from your Parmigiano Reggiano. You can freeze it and use it to throw in soups, sauces, and stews to elevate their flavor
The other great thing about this dish is that it is super kid-friendly. It’s pretty much just butter, lemon, and cheese sauce so perfect for picky eaters.
If you love classic Italian Pasta dishes you should try a few other favorites on this site: Cacio e Pepe with Arugula
or Bucatini all’Amatriciana or Fresh Pappardelle with Bolognese
Pasta al Limone
Ingredients
- 454 grams Spaghetti
- salt
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- zest from 3 lemons
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 1/2-2 cups parmigiano reggiano, finely grated
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt heavily and add in your spaghetti.
- In a large pan, melt your butter over low heat. Remove about 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water and add this in. Add in your lemon juice.
- When the pasta is almost al dente, add to the butter lemon sauce mixture.
- Toss and add in a bit more pasta water if need be to finish cooking the pasta and to loosen the sauce.
- Toss in your cheese and lemon zest, reserving a little of each for garnish
- Once the pasta is done remove and serve immediately garnished with extra lemon zest and cheese.
