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This creamy lemon pasta recipe is simple and fast to make with everyday ingredients! The zesty lemon brightens the decadent parmesan sauce.
You may also enjoy this White Wine Cream Sauce for Ravioli or Best Penne alla Vodka Recipe.
Why you’ll love it
I’m so excited about this creamy lemon pasta sauce! I just love how easy and quick it is, and it’s great that you don’t need a ton of ingredients or time to make something so comforting. Butter, cream, a touch of garlic, parmesan, and lemon juice are always in my kitchen.
The lemon cream sauce nicely coats those tasty little tubes of pasta. You could say it’s inspired by pasta al limone, which you’ll find on restaurant menus, but it’s super simple to make at home. It makes a bright and impressive side dish or main course!
What you’ll need
- Pasta – rigatoni is the perfect complement for the sauce
- Butter and flour – to make a simple roux and give the sauce a thicker consistency
- Garlic – for a pop of savory flavor
- Chicken broth – or for a fancy touch, use a dry white wine like sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio
- Lemon – we’re using both fresh lemon juice and zest
- Heavy cream – for that silky, luscious texture
- Parmesan cheese – always grate your own!
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- To zest the lemon, I use my handy Microplane zester/grater.
- I highly recommend grating your own parm. It tastes and melts better! I always keep a wedge in my fridge, and I use my Zyliss grater here.
- The is the cast iron skillet I use to make the sauce, and here is whisk pictured.
How to make creamy lemon pasta
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Cook the pasta. Meanwhile, in a skillet, melt the butter and stir in the flour to make a roux. Add in the garlic, broth, lemon juice, and zest, and bubble for a minute or so. Whisk in the cream. Simmer until thickened up as desired.
Stir in the parmesan, and remove from the heat. Season generously with salt and pepper. Toss with the drained pasta, and garnish with extra parm and chopped fresh parsley if you like.
Pro tip
If the sauce gets too thick, simply add a little bit of the pasta water to thin it out.
Substitutions and variations
- I used rigatoni, but feel free to sub with whatever pasta you’ve got on hand. Penne would work great as well.
- I don’t recommend subbing anything else for the cream in this recipe. The citrus is very likely to curdle the sauce, and heavy (or whipping) cream can withstand it due to the higher fat content.
- You could add some shrimp or cooked chicken (like rotisserie chicken) if you wanted to add a protein to this dish.
What to serve with creamy lemon pasta
- This pasta is delicious as a side dish. Try serving it with my Parmesan Crusted Chicken, Easy Pan Seared Pork Chops, or Easy Pan Seared Salmon.
- If it’s your main event, I recommend serving it alongside a light salad like my Super Simple Parmesan Arugula Salad.
- Or you could make breadsticks, garlic knots, or my Cheesy Garlic Bread.
Leftovers and storage
- This pasta recipe is one I highly recommend eating fresh, but if you do have leftovers, store for 3-4 days in the fridge and reheat over a low heat.
- I don’t recommend freezing leftovers.
Will you give this pasta with a lemon cream sauce a try? Questions? Let me know in the comments below! I’d love if you left a star rating and review, or tag me on Instagram.
Creamy Lemon Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked pasta rigatoni or penne recommended
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 tablespoon flour
- 1 small clove garlic minced
- 1/4 cup chicken broth/veg broth or dry white wine
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice + zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Garnish: fresh parsley & extra parm optional
Instructions
- Boil a salted pot of water for the pasta and cook it al dente according to package directions.
- When the pasta is about 10 minutes away from being done, add the butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. Once it melts, sprinkle the flour in and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring fairly often.
- Add in the garlic, followed by the broth (or wine) and lemon juice + zest. Let it bubble for 1 minute.
- Whisk in the cream and cook it for a few minutes until the sauce has thickened up to your liking.
- Stir in the parmesan cheese and take the skillet off the heat. Season with salt & pepper as needed (I am generous with both).
- Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss until coated (I like to add a tablespoon or so of the pasta water to the sauce prior to draining it, especially if it's become a tad too thick). Garnish with more parmesan and a bit of chopped parsley if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
- This pasta makes 4 reasonably-sized portions with plenty of sauce, but if you’ve got really hungry people and you’re not serving it with anything else, I would double the recipe. Serves 2-4 depending on how much people eat.
- I do NOT recommend subbing the heavy cream for anything with a lower fat content (e.g. half-and-half or milk) because the lemon in the sauce is very likely to curdle it, and you’ll have to add more flour to thicken the sauce.
- This pasta recipe also appears in the Salt & Lavender: Everyday Essentials cookbook.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I doubled the recipe, added peas at the end and used whole wheat fusilli for the pasta. Delicious! We had it with a lemon herb pork tenderloin I had bought, and they went perfectly together. I’m definitely looking forward to making this sauce again.
Fabulous!
This was soooo delicious! Creamy, lemony, so flavorful! I used both chicken broth and wine because I couldn’t decide and combines was probably more like 1/3 cup. Added a bit of chopped basil too. Stunning lunch for just me!!
Wonderful!! 😀
I never comment but this was DELISH
Aww thanks!
I have made this several times now and my family loves it! goes great with both chicken and fish 🙂 so quick and yummy
I’m so happy to hear that, Ann-Marie! 😀
other recipes I’ve tried over the years result in a clumpy or thin consistency sauce. this one was perfect! easy to follow instructions using simple ingredients that I had on hand. thanks! 🙂
I’m thrilled you enjoyed it!! 😀
We used this recipe with fresh penne pasta rather than dry and just cooked the pasta in its own boiling water for half the recommended time (1.5 minutes, recommended 3) then transferred to the pot with the sauce at the remaining 2 minutes and it turned out perfectly! We did use less water – 2 cups vs 3.5, as we figured the reduced time of the pasta in the sauce meant less starch to reduce the sauce and make it thick. It was delicious and turned out perfectly with the modifications! Would definitely try this recipe again with dry pasta as is.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it!! 🙂 Thanks for your detailed review, Bridget!
Made as instructed but added a little bit more fresh squeezed lemon juice-just eyeballed it. Very yummy. Love that it’s only 8 oz (half a box) of rigatoni so there aren’t tons of leftovers for only 1 person. Going in the recipe box and will make again!
So happy it was a hit, Ashley!! 🙂
The sauce was divine but I would prefer a less sturdy pasta. Just my choice. Use what you like. A keeper!
Glad you liked it, Jan!
Absolutely divine!! I’ve been chasing a lemon pasta recipe for ages and this is the best! I subbed the Parmesan for feta, and added a bit more lemon
I used Bulla Cooking Cream if that helps anyone (Australia)
I’m thrilled you enjoyed it!! Thanks for your review, Sarah!
Followed this recipe exactly – right down to the timing. It was perfect and easy. We enjoyed this side dish with lemon pepper grilled chicken. Will be making again. Thank you.
Fantastic!! Thank you, Karen!! 🙂
Is heavy cream or whipping cream better to use for this recipe? My store sells them separately instead of “heavy whipping cream”
Thanks
Heavy cream is a little richer. I usually just buy “whipping cream” here in Canada as they’re also sold separately. Enjoy! 🙂