Italian
Lemon Parmesan Spaghetti
Hot spaghetti is tossed with butter, lemon juice, and a pile of parmesan until a light sauce forms. Parsley and black pepper go on at the end, and dinner is on the table in well under half an hour.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 18 min
- Total
- 23 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- Butter, cheese, and pasta water emulsify when you toss them hot. No cream is required.
- Lemon juice is added off a hard boil so it stays bright.
- The parmesan is grated fine so it melts instead of clumping.
- The whole dinner uses one pot and one skillet.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tbsp kosher salt. Start the spaghetti when the water is at a rolling boil.
- 2
While the water heats, zest the lemon, juice it, and grate the parmesan. You want about 3 tbsp juice.
- 3
Cook the spaghetti until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain.
- 4
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Take the pan off the heat so the butter does not brown.
- 5
Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and 1/2 cup pasta water to the butter. Tip in the spaghetti.
- 6
Add the parmesan and pepper. Toss hard for about 1 minute, until the cheese melts into a light sauce that coats the noodles. Add pasta water a spoon at a time if it looks tight or sticky.
- 7
Stir in the parsley. Taste and add a pinch more salt only if the pasta water was shy. Serve immediately.
Pro tips
- Toss off the heat or over the lowest flame. High heat makes parmesan clump into strings.
- A wide skillet gives you room to toss. A small pot just mashes the spaghetti.
- If the sauce looks greasy, it needs more pasta water and more tossing, not more cheese.
Easy substitutions
- unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- parmesan
- pecorino, using a little less salt
- spaghetti
- linguine
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days. The butter sauce firms up and the lemon dulls a bit by day two.
Reheating
Warm in a skillet over low heat with 2 tbsp water, tossing until the noodles are glossy again. A microwave dries this pasta out faster than a pan does.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 470
- Protein
- 18 g
- Carbs
- 64 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
Budget friendly · Stovetop
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From the kitchen
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A heavy 12-inch skillet
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An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
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A sharp chef’s knife
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A large cutting board
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Dry cups and a liquid cup
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An instant-read thermometer
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