Lemon Spaghetti
Lemon pasta is a light, vibrant, quick and easy dinner you can have on your table in 20 minutes flat! It's silky, peppery, garlicky, herbaceous, singing with bold, lemon tanginess punctuated by rich, salty Pecorino Romano. Enjoy the lemon spaghetti in its simplicity, or add protein or veggies. Serve this recipe with garlic bread and Caesar salad for the perfect weeknight dinner that tastes like a million bucks!
Servings 4 -6 servings
Ingredients
- 16 ounces spaghetti
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter, salted or unsalted
- 1/3 cup drained capers
- 6-8 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 40 turns freshly cracked pepper
- zest and juice from 2 lemons (about 1/3 cup juice)
- 1/2 tsp EACH salt, dried oregano
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced (may sub 1 tsp dried)
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, minced (may sub 1 tsp dried)
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese (may sub Parmesan)
Instructions
- Add roughly 2 quarts water (8 cups) to a large Dutch oven (or stockpot wide enough to fit spaghetti). The water will be very shallow because we want it to be very starchy. Cover and bring to a boil. Uncover and stir in 1 tablespoon salt then add the spaghetti.
- Cook spaghetti, uncovered, until almost al dente (it will finish cooking in the sauce), stirring often. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining the pasta (do not rinse the pasta – we want all of the starch).
- Meanwhile, heat a large braiser (this is the exact one I use), or saucepan, over medium heat. Add the olive oil, butter, capers, garlic, red pepper flakes and freshly cracked pepper. Cook for a couple minutes, until very fragrant. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest, oregano and salt.
- Once the pasta is cooked drained, return the garlic lemon mixture to medium heat. Whisk in 1/3 cup reserved pasta water,
- Add the drained pasta, basil, parsley and cheese. Toss to coat, until most of the liquid is absorbed and the pasta is cooked al dente, adding additional reserved pasta water 1/4 cup at a time as needed to moisten.
- Remove from heat and garnish with additional freshly grated cheese and salt and pepper to taste.
Video
Notes
Pecorino Romano vs Parmesan: Pecorino Romano, made from sheep’s milk, is sharper, salter, tangier, more pungent and assertive than Parmesan. Parmesan, made from cow’s milk, is a bit more neutral and milder overall. In fact, Cooks Illustrated suggests using one-third less Pecorino than Parmesan in recipe substitutions – which essentially means Pecorino Romano is 3x more flavorful! So, if you use Parmesan, you may want to add more to taste.
prep Ahead
- Lemons: can be zested and juiced up to 3 days in advance. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Cheese: can be grated and stored in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.
- Fresh Herbs: can be chopped and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to one day ahead of time.
How to Store and Reheat
You may need to add a splash of water if the pasta seems dry or for extra decadence, add additional butter. The lemon flavor will mellow some, so you may want to add a splash of lemon juice.- Storage: Store leftover pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.
- Microwave: Microwave small portions for 1 minute, stir, then continue to heat at 30-second intervals until warmed through.
- Stove: For larger portions, reheat pasta gently on the stove over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.