Lemon Garlic Pasta
Published 8/21/2021 • Updated 4/18/2024
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Dive into a bowl of tangy and aromatic Lemon Garlic Pasta, where zesty lemon and savory garlic dance harmoniously to create an unmatched flavor explosion. With its simple yet exquisite blend of fresh ingredients, this recipe promises to elevate your pasta game without too much effort!
Creamy lemon garlic pasta is perfect for busy weeknights and dinner parties alike. Add a side dish like Arugula Goat Cheese Salad, Parmesan Asparagus, or Cheesy Garlic Bread to round out this easy weeknight dinner.
What You Need for Lemon Garlic Pasta
Spaghetti: Provides the perfect base for the sauce to cling onto, ensuring each bite is full of flavor. (Feel free to try another pasta shape!)
Minced Garlic: Infuses the dish with its bold, aromatic essence, adding depth to the sauce.
Lemon Juice & Zest: Offers a bright, citrusy punch that balances the richness of the pasta.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Provides a luscious texture and enhances the overall taste of the dish.
Parmesan Cheese: Adds a creamy, nutty flavor that ties everything together beautifully.
Variations and Substitutions
Chicken/Shrimp: any kind of cooked (grilled, pan-fried, baked) chicken or shrimp would be amazing in this pasta.
Nutritional Yeast: Replace parmesan cheese with nutritional yeast for a vegan alternative.
In-Season Veggies: saute or roast any of your favorite in-season veggies. Add anywhere from 3-4 cups of broccoli, cauliflower, peas, etc. You can even swap spaghetti with zucchini noodles or whole wheat pasta!
Serving Suggestions
Garnish with additional lemon zest, fresh parsley, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese before serving. Alternatively, add red pepper flakes to spice things up!
Jazz up your lemon garlic pasta with parmesan chicken nuggets or parmesan-crusted pork chops. Or pair it with amazing sides like our parmesan asparagus or delish cheese bread.
A Tip About Garlic
In this recipe, we recommend mincing a full head of garlic, but we don’t recommend pressing or smashing your garlic. Why? Sometimes when garlic and lemon are cooked together, the PH level can turn the garlic green or blue.
No fear, if it does turn color, it is still safe to eat!
Pasta Sauce Not Thick Enough? Check Out Our Guide!
Sometimes, even the most experienced cooks can end up with watery lemon garlic pasta sauce. But have no fear — we have three different ways that you’ll be able to thicken your sauce!
Our guide: How to Thicken Pasta Sauce (3 Ways), will have your dish looking and tasting great in no time.
FAQ
Absolutely! Simply assemble the dish, cover tightly, and refrigerate unbaked ziti for up to 24 hours before baking.
Yes, portion leftovers into airtight containers and freeze for up to three months for a quick and satisfying meal later on.
Storage
Store any leftover lemon garlic pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave until warmed through.
Lemon Garlic Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz. uncooked angel hair pasta
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ large white onion, diced
- ½ teaspoon salt, separated
- 1 head garlic, peeled and minced (not pressed)
- ⅓ cup dry white wine
- ⅓-½ cup starchy pasta water
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
Optional Garnish
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 slices fresh lemon
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta to the water. Cook the pasta until al dente (5-7 minutes).
- Before straining the pasta, remove 1 cup of the pasta water from the pot and set it aside.
- Strain the pasta, rinse with warm water and set aside.
- Next, heat a large skillet over medium/high heat. Add olive oil.
- When the olive oil is fragrant add the onion to the skillet and sprinkle with ⅛ teaspoon salt. Cook the onion for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the garlic to the skillet and toss with the onion. Sauté the garlic for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Toss the onion and garlic with the white wine.
- Add the starchy water to the skillet and bring to a gentle boil.
- Turn the heat to low and let the sauce reduce and thicken for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the lemon juice to the skillet and simmer for 1-2 more minutes.
- Lastly, Add the butter and remaining salt to the sauce and stir until the butter melts.
- Add half of the pasta to the skillet and toss it with the sauce. Add the rest of the pasta to the skillet and toss until all the pasta is covered in sauce.
- Top with grated parmesan cheese, cracked pepper, parsley, and fresh lemon.
Tips & Notes
- We note to mince the garlic rather than to press it to try to avoid discoloration to the garlic. Sometimes when garlic and lemon juice are cooked down together the PH change can cause the garlic to turn blue or green. IT IS SAFE TO EAT THE GARLIC, just looks different.
- This recipe is supposed to be a light, fresh, and easy 30-minute meal. It has a light and lemony flavor. If you would like it to be saucier, add more starchy water.
- You are adding starchy salted pasta water, salted butter, and salt to this recipe so be cautious of how much salt you add. Perhaps wait to add the majority of the salt to your pasta until the end of the recipe.
- Adding the butter at the end of the recipe makes the sauce glossy and thick.
- We highly recommend using freshly cracked pepper.
- Please use fresh lemon juice rather than store bought lemon juice, the flavor will be best.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I usually just wing it when making lemon garlic sauce, but tonight I prepped ahead of time and followed this recipe. It turned out delicious!
I used a medium onion, minced and 4 cloves of garlic. I also zested and juiced a lemon, adding the zest after melting the butter into the sauce.
I added about 1.5 cups of starch water and a little corn starch slurry.
We scarfed it down!
Delish! Thanks for sharing your journey with this recipe, Tricia 😀
Beautiful recipe really enjoyed it was a bit hastened with the amount of garlic and lemon used but it really worked will defiantly making this again
Wahoo!
Great recipe and the lemon is so yummy!!!