Easy lemon cream pasta is delicate angel hair pasta, bathed in lemony cream sauce. It’s simple enough for busy weeknights, but luxurious enough for easy entertaining. Thank you United Dairy Industry of Michigan – Milk Means More for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.
Holy moly! Every so often a frantic dash to the kitchen to toss together a quick weeknight dinner pays off in the most glorious of ways. I always feel that as long as I have lemons, garlic, and cheese in my kitchen then we will never starve because those simple ingredients can be combined in so many ways to make delicious, economical meals in minutes. As we were racing to finish school a few days ago so that we could then speed to make the 4:00 p.m. warm up time for a soccer game two hours away–in the driving rain–I realized that I hadn’t planned a portable dinner to eat on the way home, and nor had we eaten lunch. Oh, and I was driving two other hungry soccer players so I felt the need to feed them too.
Cue the panic!
All the meat was still frozen solid as a glacier in the freezer. I was out of cereal. We were also out of bread. I felt instantly thrust into the throes of a proverbial hot-mess type of situation. But I did have my usual staples of lemons, garlic, and cheese. I also happened upon a lone box of angel hair pasta in the pantry. Hooray! We could eat a big lunch/dinner to tide us over until after the game.
Random Tangent: if Breakfast + Lunch = Brunch, then is Lunch + Dinner = Linner? Dunch? Or do we just go all Southern and call a large mid-day meal Dinner, and save Supper for later? I never know what the appropriate term is.
Whatever we decide to call the meal time, I’m calling it a lifesaver because this Easy Lemon Cream Pasta saved the day!
The simple lemon sauce is creamy enough to satisfy, but not at all thick or cloying on the tongue. The garlic adds an additional level flavor without taking over the whole affair.
Easy Lemon Cream Pasta may have humble roots that began in a moment of panic and barren cupboards, but the results are a luxurious meal worthy of the finest company. In my case, that company was a literal truckload of soon-to-be-sweaty teenage boys whom wasted no time in clearing their plates. In fact, I’d like to think that it was the pasta contributed to how well the boys played that night.
Kirsten Kubert
Yields 6
Delicate angel hair pasta bathed in lemony cream sauce simple enough for busy weeknights, but luxurious enough for easy entertaining.
15 minPrep Time
10 minCook Time
25 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- For the Pasta and Sauce:
- 1 (16 oz.) package “angel hair” pasta, prepared al dente
- 2 Tbs. unsalted butter
- 1/4 C. minced sweet onion (half of 1 small)
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 C. heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 C. low sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 C. fresh lemon juice (1-2 small lemons)
- 2 tsp. lemon zest (1-2 small lemons)
- 1 tsp. kosher salt, to taste
- 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes, to taste
- For Serving:
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to taste
- Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the angel hair pasta according to package directions to reach an “al dente” texture. Drain the pasta; briefly set it aside while completing the sauce.
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce melt the butter in a large skillet set over medium heat. Sauté the onions in the melted butter until just beginning to soften—around 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Pour the chicken broth into the skillet, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits that may have adhered. Stir in the heavy cream, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 3 minutes. Taste the sauce and season with salt and red pepper flakes. Simmer sauce for another minute, taste, and adjust seasonings. Remove the skillet from heat.
- Toss the angel hair pasta with the sauce in the skillet. Serve in large bowls with a sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan cheese, and a touch of nutmeg.
Notes
Recipe Notes: The lemon cream sauce is meant to be mild and flavorful without being cloying. Half & half may be substituted for the cream to lighten the dish, but avoid using anything with less fat. Be careful when seasoning the sauce, to ensure that the creamy lemon flavor really shines through. The amount of salt required will vary based on the sodium content in the chicken broth used in the recipe. For an extra garlicky kick, rub half of a peeled garlic clove along the interior of a pasta bowl prior to serving.
Comments