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A bowl of creamy spaghetti topped with grated cheese, black pepper, and garnished with a fresh basil leaf and a lemon slice. The dish is served in a speckled, rustic bowl with a fork resting inside.
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5 from 1 vote

Lemon Basil Pasta

A quick and flavorful pasta with fresh lemon, basil, garlic, and Parmesan. Ready in 20 minutes with simple pantry ingredients.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: easy
Servings: 4 people
Author: Marissa Stevens

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces dried linguine or other long, slender pasta
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 4 large garlic cloves minced
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 large lemon juice and zest
  • 1 ounce fresh basil ~1 1/2 cups, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 2 ounces parmesan cheese freshly grated, about 2/3 cup

Instructions

Cook the pasta

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook linguine according to package directions until firm to the bite (al dente). Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.

Start the sauce

  • While the pasta cooks, melt the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant and tender, about 1 to 2 minutes. Don’t let it brown. Remove from heat.

Toss everything together

  • As soon as you've drained the pasta, set skillet with garlic mixture over medium heat. Add drained, cooked pasta, heavy cream and 1/4 cup of reserved cooking water and toss to coat. Cook and stir until pasta is well coated and heated through, adding more cooking water if pasta seems dry.

Finish and serve

  • Remove pasta from heat and stir in lemon juice and zest, and fresh basil until well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowl or platter; top with grated parmesan cheese and more fresh basil if desired. Serve.

Video

Notes

  • Any long, slender pasta works. Linguine is my favorite for texture, but fettuccine, spaghetti, or tagliatelle all work well. If using fresh pasta, increase the amount by half.
  • Save extra pasta water. It helps reheat leftovers or loosen the sauce if it tightens up too much.
  • Use the lemon off heat. Adding it while the sauce is bubbling can cause it to break or turn bitter.
  • Make it a meal. Add zucchini ribbons, cherry tomatoes, or rotisserie chicken if you want to bulk it up.

Nutrition

Calories: 548kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 283mg | Potassium: 289mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 884IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 222mg | Iron: 2mg

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