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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 made just like recipe, served over store bought spinach ravioli, perfection!! Definetly one I will use to impress guests,
Fantastic!! 😀
I didn’t have heavy cream so i used whole milk plus 1 extra tbsp butter. OMG it was so delicious and also the perfect ratio of sauce to pasta. I am glad i read the note on being careful with the lemon juice cause I got over three teaspoons from one half lemon but only put in two. Served with shrimp. Yum!!
Thank you, Stacey! Glad it worked out!
Perfectly easy and delicious. I added spinach when I mixed the pasta into the sauce and it was a perfect no meat meal!
Wonderful!
I tried this recipe my family loves it !!
It’s super easy and delicious. One question are you able to make the sauce ahead of time and refrigerate?
Thanks Angie
I’m thrilled to hear that, Angie! Yes – I’d warm it up slowly over a low heat. If you include the shrimp in it when you pre-make it, I’d eat it within a couple days.
Batchelor tested.
To the team @ Salt and Lavender.
Understandable step by step directions, and great photos as a guide, equaled a flavorful dinner. I like your style and looking forward to cooking some of your other Recipes.
Subscribed.
Many thanks.
J.D.
That’s awesome, Jerry!! 😀 Thanks for your review!
Hi, how can I make this work with half & half I have in hand?
Hi! It may curdle due to the acidity. Be sure not to let it boil. You may need to cook it a little longer to reduce the sauce.
Delicious!! I halved the recipe and it was a good size for a single person as a full meal. I did go a little heavy on the garlic because I love it. The sauce is like a grown up, refreshing Alfredo that doesn’t weigh you down. Easy to customize with pasta type, proteins, and veggies. Thanks!!
I’m so happy it worked out. You’re very welcome, Carlie!
This turned out great! My husband and I both loved it. The only thing I would do differently next time would be to add more lemon zest. Can’t wait to make it again!
I’m so happy you guys liked it!
Loved this recipe! I have made it maybe 5 times already. The more lemon zest the better it gets! I made it one time with no zest and it wasn’t the same. Now I double the amout of zest I use.
I’m so glad you like this one, Tsahai! Yes – totally agree re: the zest!!
I used the sauce for shrimp and crab raviolis. It was amazing and so easy!
That’s great to hear, Joan!
Tripled the recipe for Easter brunch and it was fantastic! So simple and fast to make while guests were enjoying appetizers. Everyone loved it.. including the kids! This recipe is a keeper!
I’m thrilled to hear that, Cathy!! 😀 Appreciate your review!