20 Minute Lemon Butter Pasta with Dill and Arugula

Make a quick, creamy, light sauce with butter, lemon, garlic, cream, and white wine, and serve it over pasta for an easy dinner.

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About once per month, we try to do “pantry week.” This means we don’t buy any new groceries and use up things we find in the refrigerator or pantry. It helps us save money because we aren’t buying more food. It also keeps us from wasting food that might otherwise go bad if not eaten. That’s how we first created Pasta with Lemon Butter Sauce.

A lot of our meals during pantry staples week tend to be a simple pasta recipe of some type with very simple ingredients. We usually have pasta on hand, and it doesn’t require meat. Typically, we only buy enough meat for exactly the meals planned, so we don’t have extra in the freezer.

We’ve also been trying to use any of the foods we grow in the garden as we harvest. Since we had some fresh arugula, we added that to this meal. If you don’t have arugula or don’t like it, you could also sub in spinach leaves. We didn’t get many of our leafy greens to grow this season which has left us limited in our choices.

Justin cooked this delicious lemon butter pasta one night while I was visiting my family in Florida. We’ve since made Pasta with Lemon Butter Sauce, also known as Pasta al Limone, a few times. Having a few easy pasta recipes on hand for busy weeknights means you can still have a flavorful meal the whole family will enjoy. 

Serving Suggestions & Tips

• When possible, use fresh ingredients and fresh herbs for a more flavorful recipe.
• Garnish the pasta with lemon zest, Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, black pepper, sliced green onions, fresh parsley, or fresh basil. 
• Add meat to your meal by cooking up some juicy chicken, cut it into bite-sized pieces or shred the chicken, and add to the lemon pasta recipe. 
• We used ziti noodles since that’s what we had extra of in the pantry, but this sauce would work well with almost any type of noodle.
• The best pasta options for this recipe include ziti noodles, penne noodles, angel hair pasta, spaghetti noodles, fettuccine noodles, or any other pasta shape you prefer. 
• Serve with a side dish of fresh bread, garlic bread, a side salad, or mixed veggies. 
• The easy lemon butter pasta sauce is delicious over noodles but can also be used as a bread dip for an appetizer. 

Pasta with a Lemon Butter Sauce Step by Step

Ingredients

• 1 cup pasta noodles
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup white cooking wine
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 cloves fresh garlic (minced)
• 1 tbsp dill
• 1 bunch arugula (or spinach)
• Salt and pepper (to taste)

Preparation

Start by cooking your pasta according to the directions until cooked al dente. 

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat one tablespoon of oil over medium-low heat, then add the minced garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the white wine and turn it up to medium heat. Let the wine cook for about 5 minutes, or until it is reduced by about one-third. The garlic should be soft, but you don’t want it to get brown.

Remove the pan from the heat and add in the butter and cream. Return the pan to the heat and continuously stir until it starts to bubble.

Remove the pan from the heat again and add the lemon juice, dill, and arugula. Stir until the arugula is wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the sauce over the cooked pasta noodles. Garnish with dill.

Lemon Butter Pasta Leftovers

Storage: Let the leftover lemon garlic butter sauce come to room temperature, then store it in an airtight container. Ideally, store the pasta in a separate container so the noodles don’t soak up the sauce. Refrigerate for 2-3 days. 

Reheating: The best way to reheat this simple dish is in a saucepan over medium heat. Combine the pasta noodles with the sauce and heat for 5-10 minutes, until warmed through. If there isn’t enough buttery sauce, add some butter, lemon juice, heavy cream, a little water, or whole milk. 

Recipe

Pasta with a Lemon Butter Sauce

Make a quick, creamy, light sauce with butter, lemon, garlic, cream, and white wine and serve it over pasta for an easy dinner.

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Course:

Main Dish

Cuisine:

American

Diet

Vegetarian

Keyword:

dill

|

garlic

|

lemon

|

pasta

Dietary Needs:

Egg-Free

|

Nut-Free

Servings: 2 servings

5 from 5 votes

Ingredients

• 1 cup pasta noodles
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup white cooking wine
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 tbsp dill
• 1 bunch arugula (or spinach)
• Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Recommended Equipment

• Saucepan – Medium
• Colander
• Saucepan – Small
• Garlic Press

Instructions

• Cook the pasta noodles according to the package directions
• In a small saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-low and add the minced garlic
• Stir frequently, cooking for about 5 minutes
• Add the white wine
• Increase the heat to medium and cook about 5 minutes, making sure the garlic does not get brown, until the wine is reduced by one-third
• Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter and cream
• Return the pan to the heat and stir constantly until it begins to bubble
• Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice, dill, and arugula, stirring until the arugula has wilted
• Add salt and pepper as needed, to taste
• Serve the sauce over the cooked pasta noodles

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Nutrition Facts

Pasta with a Lemon Butter Sauce

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 409 Calories from Fat 270

% Daily Value*

Fat 30g46%

Saturated Fat 15g75%

Cholesterol 71mg24%

Sodium 135mg6%

Potassium 321mg9%

Carbohydrates 26g9%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 6g12%

Vitamin A 2135IU43%

Vitamin C 12.3mg15%

Calcium 121mg12%

Iron 1.5mg8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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.

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