Creamy Lemon Pasta (No-Cook Sauce)

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This is my favorite pasta al limone, a creamy lemon pasta recipe with a luscious, super-lemony cream sauce. The best part is that the velvety sauce doesn’t require any cooking. With just a few ingredients, this pasta recipe comes together in a matter of minutes. Top your plate with plenty of Parmesan cheese and dig in!

One thing that never fails to lure me off the couch is a bowl of creamy pasta. Specifically a bowl of lemon pasta, otherwise known as pasta al limone in Italian.

This bowl of deliciousness is a creamy tangle of wide noodles (I love to use pappardelle) that capture the tangy lemon cream sauce. Who doesn’t love a bowl of pasta with cream sauce?

Because the super-creamy, ultra lemony sauce is totally unfussy, you can make this recipe in about 15 minutes flat.

Ingredient overview

• Butter. Use a good quality butter, unsalted or salted. If you happen to find salted premium European-style butter at your market, get it and use it! It will take this pasta to the next level.
• Egg: You’ll need one egg yolk, which helps thicken the sauce.
• Cream. Make sure you get a cream labelled as heavy cream , not whipping cream. Heavy cream has a slightly higher butterfat content than whipping cream and gives the sauce a luscious mouthfeel. Give the container a good shake before pouring out the cream to measure.
• Parmesan. Avoid the pre-grated stuff. I really hate to sound like the ultimate food snob here, but if you can get real-deal Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, please do! It is without question a bit pricier, but you only need about 4 ounces of cheese for the recipe. If that isn’t within reach, just choose a good hunk of Parmesan that you grate yourself.
• Dried pasta: I love to use pappardelle, a pasta that looks like wide fettuccine or tagliatelle. It’s a perfect shape for hearty thick sauces. You can find packaged dried pappardelle (coiled in little nests) in many grocery stores. Use any long pasta shape you prefer, including angel hair, penne or spaghetti.
• Fresh parsley: Chopped Italian or curly parsley adds color to the dish.

Creamy lemon pasta recipe overview

• Combine the ingredients for the sauce, which includes an egg to bind the sauce.
• Toss the hot pasta with the creamy lemon sauce in the biggest bowl in your kitchen, sprinkle with parsley and serve while it’s hot.

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Creamy Lemon Pasta (No-Cook Sauce)

Karen Tedesco

This is a creamy lemon pasta recipe with a luscious, super-lemony sauce that doesn't require cooking. It's quick and easy to make and so good! With just a few ingredients, this pasta recipe comes together in a matter of minutes. Serve topped with plenty of Parmesan cheese.

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4.80 from 224 community reviews

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Pasta

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4 servings

1x2x3x

Ingredients

• ▢ Kosher salt
• ▢ 1 large or extra-large egg yolk
• ▢ ½ cup (125 ml) heavy cream, well shaken – see note below
• ▢ ½ cup (125 g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• ▢ 1 lemon
• ▢ 8 ounces (223 g) dried pappardelle pasta, or your favorite dried pasta
• ▢ 2 tablespoons (30 g) butter, salted or unsalted is fine
• ▢ 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

US Customary – Metric

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Instructions 

• Bring a large pot (5-6 quarts) of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons salt.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, cream, ½ cup Parmesan and ½ teaspoon salt. Grate the zest from the lemon with a rasp grater (a Microplane is my top pick) over the bowl, then slice the lemon in half and squeeze in the juice from one half. Whisk to combine.
• Cook the pasta until al dente, usually 8-10 minutes. Be sure to taste and test!
• Drain the pasta and immediately add to the bowl with the lemon cream. Top with the butter, then use 2 forks or a pair of tongs to gently toss the pasta until it’s coated with the sauce. Cover the bowl and let it sit 5 minutes to thicken.
• Serve hot, sprinkled with parsley, additional grated Parmesan and lemon zest, if you like.

Karen’s Notes and Tips

• Depending on the brand of heavy cream you have, a layer of thick cream can form a cap on top of the liquid cream. Be sure to shake the container heavy cream well to blend it before measuring it.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container 1-2 days in the refrigerator. Add a teaspoon or two of water or cream before reheating as the pasta sauce will thicken.
• You can use either fresh or dried pappardelle or fettuccine noodles or any type of dried pasta.

Recipe adapted from How to Eat

Nutrition

Calories: 397kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 235mg | Potassium: 231mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 803IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 211mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.

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• Italian
• Pasta
• Quick (30 Minutes)

Hey, I’m Karen

Creator of Familystyle Food

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I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.