Creamy Lemon Butter Tagliatelle Pasta (Pasta al Limone)
My creamy lemon butter tagliatelle starts with the butter and cream sauce an Italian chef taught me in the late ’80s. I toss dried tagliatelle in a skillet of light cream and layer in the lemon using a method that keeps the sauce smooth and velvety. Bonus? I can be eating in less than 20 minutes.
Servings 3
Ingredients
- ½ lb tagliatelle pasta reserve 1-1 ½ cups pasta water before draining
- 2 lemons zested one first; then juiced for ¼ cup
- ¼ cup parmesan fresh grated; more if needed or desired
- 1 cup light cream or table cream; 18% milk fat
- 5 T unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- fresh parsley minced; for garnish; optional
Instructions
- Cook 1/2 lb dried tagliatelle in about 5 qts of generously salted water for about 4 minutes (or according to package instructions) Reserve at least 1 - 1 ½ cups of pasta water, then drain pasta in a colander.½ lb tagliatelle pasta
- First zest then juice 1 lemon. Freshly grate parmesan cheese.2 lemons, ¼ cup parmesan
- To a large skillet, add the light cream and heat the pan to medium-low heat. Sprinkle in the lemon zest (reserve a little bit for garnishing the finished dish).Add in the butter, 1 Tablespoon at a time, thoroughly melting between additions, whisking the whole time. Starting with ½ cup, pour in pasta water followed by ¼ cup lemon juice and whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Heat gently whisking the whole time until the sauce thickens. Toss in cooked tagliatelle and more pasta water as needed in small increments. Once you have the sauce where you like it, sprinkle in the parmesan cheese and zest over a little more lemon zest.1 cup light cream, 5 T unsalted butter, ½ teaspoon kosher salt , ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Top with freshly chopped parsley, if desired.fresh parsley
Notes
I call for 2 lemons because your lemon might yield more or less. You will only zest one lemon. Total lemon juice needed is approximately 1/4 cup.
When I can't find light cream, I pick up a box of table cream in the International foods aisle. It's typically packaged in a shelf-stable box (similar to chicken broths).
