Creamy Lemon Pasta

4.96 from 94 votes

This creamy lemon pasta recipe is simple and fast to make with everyday ingredients! The zesty lemon brightens the decadent parmesan sauce.

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: creamy lemon pasta, lemon cream pasta

Servings:

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.

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.