Have dinner on the table for the family in less than 30 minutes with this delicious creamy pasta with a kick of lemon for added flavor.
Jump to RecipeLemon has been a staple in our house lately. Both of the boys really enjoy the flavor of lemon. They always want to eat a piece of the lemon or suck the juice out whenever they see one. That’s why we knew that a creamy lemon pasta would be a great dinner for our family.
Whenever we are out to eat, they ask for lemon in their water. I don’t think a lot of servers believe them. They tend to bring the lemon slices in a separate bowl.
Because of their love for lemon, we have been trying to make more dishes with lemon flavor so they will eat them without an argument. It works about half the time! But, they both are usually willing to at least try something new when we make it. Which is all I ask of them.
We like having some pasta dishes for busy nights since it doesn’t take long to make. And we can make it when we forgot to thaw any meat for dinner. I prefer my pasta sauces to be creamy (if it isn’t regular red pasta sauce), so I like to add some heavy cream to pasta when we make it.
I made this recipe with fettuccine noodles, but you could use spaghetti, linguine, or any of the long noodles. I’m not sure how it would work with others such as elbow or bowtie noodles.
Creamy Lemon Pasta Step by Step
Ingredients
- 4 qts water
- 1 lb fettuccine noodles
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 lemon (juiced and zested)
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 green onion (chopped)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup parmesan cheese (shredded)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp pepper
Preparation
Cook the pasta as directed until it is al dente. When it’s done, reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid for use in the sauce.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, warm the oil and add the lemon zest.
Add the salt, honey, and green onion. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the onions are softened.
Whisk in the cream and let it simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently so it doesn’t scald.
Drain the noodles (reserving 1/4 cup of the liquid) and fold the lemon juice in until the pasta absorbs the juice.
Stir in the parmesan cheese and reserved cooking liquid into the cream sauce.
Add the pasta to the cream sauce and toss to coat the pasta with the sauce.
Divide the pasta and garnish with pepper and lemon zest.
Recipe
Originally Published On: April 25, 2019
Last Updated On: July 21, 2022
Creamy Lemon Pasta
Ingredients
- 4 qts water
- 1 lb fettuccine noodles
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 lemon (juiced and zested)
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 green onion (chopped)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup parmesan cheese (shredded)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp pepper
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Cook the pasta as directed until it is al dente
- When it’s done, reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid for use in the sauce
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, warm the oil and add the lemon zest
- Add the salt, honey, and green onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until the onions are softened
- Whisk in the cream and let it simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently so it doesn’t scald
- Stir in the parmesan cheese and reserved cooking liquid into the cream sauce
- Drain the noodles (reserving 1/4 cup of the liquid) and fold the lemon juice in until the pasta absorbs the juice
- Add the pasta to the cream sauce and toss to coat the pasta with the sauce
- Divide the pasta and garnish with pepper and lemon zest
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Recipes with Lemon Flavor
- Watermelon Lemonade
- Lemon Crepes
- Lemon-Herb Chicken Kabobs
- Simple Strawberry Lemonade
- Instant Pot Lemon-Garlic Chicken
- Lemon-Tahini Chicken with Green Beans
- Lemon Bars with Prickly Pear Juice
- Tilapia with Lemon Butter Sauce
- Lemon Thyme Chicken Dinner with Potatoes and Green Beans
- Chicken and Carrots with Rosemary and Lemon Sauce
- Chicken Tortellini Salad with Lemon Dressing
- Lemon Rosemary Tilapia
- Pasta with a Lemon Butter Sauce
- Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy Lemonade
- Shrimp Orzo with Lemon
- Kid-Friendly Lemon Bar Dessert
- Creamy Lemon Pasta
- Dairy-Free Sour Cream Substitute with Only 2 Ingredients
- Delightfully Tangy Chicken Piccata
How often do you post these recipes? I love trying out new dishes and it seems you have new, intriguing ideas each day.
Thank you! I post new recipes at least twice per week and I have been rephotographing and updating my old ones as well, so a recipe is posted almost every day.
I really like the sound of this dish! We eat a lot of pasta but I’ve never tried it with lemon before…
We’ve been adding lemon to a lot lately. My boys are crazy and will eat lemon wedges straight!
I am not much of a creamy pasta person! Not sure why but I just never have been My husband however wants to try this asap!
Sometimes I like it, sometimes I want a good red sauce. I liked this one a lot since it tastes so fresh with the lemon in it.
This was so easy to make and came out fast! The whole house loves it so it is a new staple on our dinner menu!
I’m so glad you all enjoyed the meal! We have been loving lemon recipes here lately.
What a great spring time recipe! I like that you mix the noodles right in while it’s cooking. I’ve made something similar in the past, but you pour the sauce over the noodles, and it doesn’t seem to coat very well. Definitely will try this out!
I usually try to mix them in for this reason, because the sauce doesn’t seem to coat the noodles when you pour it over the top.
That’s interesting. I think I would like it better with the sauce poured over. I guess it’s because I’m not a heavy sauce girl, so a little goes a long way for me.
Patranila I can understand that too! I like the noodles to be covered, so usually put them in the sauce at the end. But you could easily make the sauce and pour it over the noodles, too!
Haha. I didn’t knew till today that we can add lemon to pasta. I love lemon and the little zesty tang it adds to thinks. Now, I can’t wait to try this. It looks so delicious.
My boys absolutely love lemon lately, so we have been adding it to a lot of meals for them. It adds a fresh taste to the recipe and makes me think of summer.
I did not know that a combination of lemon and pasta can look so delicious. Never before I thought of mixing these two things together. Now I would love to try it.
The lemon helps make the pasta dish taste so fresh and makes me think of summer time!
Pasta recipes are always my favorite! I have a lemon pasta recipe that I love that is very different from this one. I can’t wait to try this creamier version!
We’ve made pasta with a lemon sauce that is both creamy and not as creamy. I prefer creamy, but will still enjoy the other one, too!
Wow, I didn’t expect that lemon would be good in dinner food. I will have to try this recipe out!
We have been having a lot of meals with lemon lately. I didn’t realize just how versatile of a flavor it can be!
I am a huge lover of all things lemon, so this is totally something I will make. It sounds delicious! Love that you’ve been looking for lemon recipes because your boys love it too!
You should give it a try! The pasta was pretty easy to make and very fresh with the lemon in it. My boys go crazy over lemons!
I love this new original way to prepare pasta! That’s so good for a change, thank you for all your fresh ideas
😀
You’re welcome! We try to find new and different things to change up the meals we love, and this was one of them.
Yum, this looks so delicious! I love anything with lemon, I can’t wait to try this combination. I think my entire family will enjoy it!!
We have been eating anything with lemon lately, too. My oldest son has now deemed it his favorite fruit!
Oh awesome…now I know what I’m making for dinner! I love lemon and I love pasta so this is a win all around.
Sounds like it’s a perfect dinner for you then!