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Creamy Lemon Pasta
![Creamy Lemon Pasta](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2019/01/15/dining/bk-creamy-lemon-pasta/merlin_148333125_37bb211c-7509-43e3-891f-39a1930df3ed-articleLarge.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 12ounces wide egg noodles
- Zest and juice of 2 lemons; zest cut in very thin strips 1 inch long
- 1cup heavy cream
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Lots of freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add noodles, and stir to separate. Cook for 8 minutes or until tender. Drain, then return to the cooking pot.
- Step 2
Just before noodles are done, in a small saucepan combine the lemon zest, cream, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, or until cream comes to a boil.
- Step 3
Pour cream mixture over drained noodles, and add the lemon juice. Stir to coat. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until all the liquid is absorbed, about 1 to 2 minutes. Season with additional pepper, if desired.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
For everyone saying its too much lemon juice my guess is you're using really large lemons? In my experience small lemons provide 1-2 Tbls where as a large lemon is more like a quarter cup or more. For this recipe I think around a quarter cup total (4 Tablespoons) is enough.
This is brightened considerably by the addition of a couple of handfuls of baby arugula (if you like it, of course!).
I sauteed two thinly sliced garlic cloves in a little olive oil before adding the lemon zest and the cream. It add a whole new dimension. A keeper.
I use half and half successfully instead of heavy cream in cooking sauces with one caveat. I use only organic half and half as there are no additives (including the added sugar which is in fat free) to alter the flavor.
Why alter the recipe and then give a bad rating? Maybe you need to try it as written.
I ate a dish like this in Rome and I always remembered how simple, but great it was. This is just like it delicious with good Parmesan , so easy and you would think lemon and cream would curdle it doesn't , try it highly recommend!
Do you like pasta? Do you like lemon? Maybe some cheese? Do you like simple, straightforward recipes? Do you like to get dinner on the table with minimal stress and time investment? Do you like it when your family eats everything you cooked and then asks for more?
If yes to any or all of these, this is the recipe for you. Seriously. This was so simple and so awesome. Next time I'll try the asparagus as some others recommended. This time I mixed in some shrimp and grated romano. Awesome
American lemons are sour. Italian lemons are bigger and sweeter. So when ever I make any pasta con limone, I add sugar to the lemon juice .. add a little and taste. Perfect when barely sweet.
To knock socks, place cooked, picked lobster in aluminum foil aand warm in 200 degree oven while doing all the other stepss.
At the very end, add lobster and toss. Figure 1/4 lb lobster meat per serving.
Mangia mangia!,,
Try using a microplane to zest. No pith, and it helps bring out the lemon's oils. Also the zest is small enough so that they almost "melt" in.
This doesn't curdle because zest is not acidic (juice is of course). The juice is added at the end after the cream has been diluted by adding to the pasta. Be sure to use organic lemons if possible because of the fungicide used in most non organic citrus fruits, concentrated in the outer skin.
If you want more protein, add some frozen cooked peas.
Our two lemons yeilded almost a cup of lemon juice. We almost died. Our mouths may never unpucker. For those who don't know, apparently when following a recepie the juice of a lemon equals about 3 tablespoons.
Absolutely delicious with just the right balance when I added broccolini roasted to a slight char. The broccolini was chopped (including stems and leaves), douses with EVOO, and roasted at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
Mary, although this cream sauce will cling better to a wider noodle make it with whatever pasta you'd like. How about fettucine instead of angel hair?
I never liked egg noodles either because I always bought the standard ones on the bottom shelf of t the grocery store but then I discovered the thick Amish egg noodles and an egg noodle in the freezer section. Now, these are egg noodles!
I added steamed asparagus tips to this, and it was superb.
Who knew something so simply could make one's mouth water. In this case less is definitely more. Tonight, substituting pappardelle for noodles... Dinner is served!
There are sweet lemons and there are acidous ones. I had acidous one. Two tablespoons were already too heavy, but the dish could be resqued with sugar and a bit salt. Second the zests are better taken from bakeingredients because these are soft. Next time i'll do it better.
my cut zest was too thick and ruined the dish I will use a zest plain next time
Only problem I had is that there wasn't enough! Btw, the lemon juice suggestion was very helpful .. I used only one medium lemon and it was perfect, however, I also used lemon infused olive oil.
In recipes like this, it’s much more useful to state the exact amount of lemon juice rather than juice of two lemons. Lemons can vary drastically in size. You may end up with inedible pasta if you used two large lemons.
Mine curdled even tho I added lemon juice after mixing sauce and pasta? Also was a little runny- any suggestions? It tastes good, just doesn't look great...
This turned out great! We added boneless chicken thighs and a little shaved Parmesan on top. The noodles were still the star of the show, and it all paired well with a simple Caesar salad. The lemon was probably our favorite part of it all. This will become a regular recipe.
Excellent as it is. Made it with linguine. Of course it can be played it, but the beauty of this recipe is that it is so very basic and so very good.
Made this tonight with some pan-caramelized garlic and parsley and parmesan. I wasn’t paying attention to the sauce because I had too many things going so the cream broke but it was delicious and easy. The texture was a bit like ricotta. It’s gone! I’ll try it again without over boiling the cream.
I only used the juice of one lemon and added a copious amount of red pepper flakes. Grated parmesan is great on this too.
A family favorite, served often with Salmon caviar, or shrimp. Simply delicious.
I add capers and a little Parmesan...
So easy and delicious! I used fresh pappardelle instead of egg noodles. What a decadent treat on a weeknight!
Yeah followed guidance and only used 1/4 c lemon juice from 2 big lemons and still way too much lemon and way too much zest in unappetizing strips. May try again with a tablespoon of so of juice and a little grated zest, interesting idea but way way overdone
Angel hair instead of egg noodles Heat small tab of butter and season with garlic powder before adding pasta in pan 1/4 cup lemon juice / Add 1/2 cup pasta water / Reduce added salt when seasoning
This recipe made a perfect easy, light summer pasta dish. I added some butter, chili flakes and parm. Will be making again!
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