Lemon Garlic Pasta
Lemon garlic pasta makes a dreamy weeknight dinner. It's packed with flavor, couldn't be more comforting, and comes together in 20 minutes.
Calories: 592kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound (454 grams) spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
- 2 tablespoons (28 grams) butter
- 8 cloves garlic chopped (see note 2 below)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon chili flakes
- ½ cup (120 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ cup (60 grams) grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
- Fill a very large pot halfway with water. Add plenty of salt, cover, and bring to a boil.
- When the water boils, cook the spaghetti one minute less than it says on the package. Toward the end of cooking, scoop out and reserve ½ cup of the cooking water.
- Meanwhile, set a large frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the olive oil and butter and warm until butter is melted.
- A?dd the garlic, salt, and chili flakes.
- Cook, stirring from time to time, until garlic is very fragrant, just a few minutes. Reduce heat if necessary to prevent browning.
- Drain pasta (reserving ½ cup of the cooking water).
- I?nto the frying pan, whisk the lemon juice, grated cheese, pepper, and reserved cooking water. Bring to a simmer.
- A?dd drained pasta to pan and toss for a minute or two to coat well, letting the silky sauce thicken enough to coat the strands.
- O?ff the heat, stir in the parsley.
Notes
- Spaghetti works beautifully this recipe, since it does a great job absorbing the sauce during the last stage of cooking. But you can use any shape of pasta that you like.
- I've called for eight garlic cloves, but I often use a whole lot more. You can easily adjust the amount according to your preference.
- There's no substitute for freshly squeezed lemon juice, which adds brightness and character to this simple dish.
- Choose a good-quality, freshly grated parmesan cheese. It adds a ton of savoriness to this simple pasta. If it's important to you that this dish be vegetarian, be sure to use a variety that's made without animal rennet.
- Use flat-leaf parsley (also called Italian parsley). It has a more delicate texture and a milder flavor than its curly counterpart.
- This recipe is so quick and easy to make, and it's at its best shortly after cooking. I don't recommend going out of your way to make it in advance. That said, leftovers are delicious. They'll keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week and can be reheated in the microwave.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 592kcal | Carbohydrates: 89.7g | Protein: 19.4g | Fat: 17.4g | Fiber: 4.2g | Sugar: 4g