Best Lemon Pasta Recipe (No Cream)

I’ll never forget the first time I tasted an authentic lemon pasta recipe. Not to be too dramatic, but my life has never been the same.

It was my first time in Italy, and I was staying at the Hotel Santa Caterina on the Amalfi Coast.

With a sea breeze lightly blowing through their open-air Restaurant Al Mare, I ordered Pasta al Limone Sfusato di Amalfi, a spaghetti tossed in a cream sauce made with the enormous lemons that grow in the Amalfi Coast region.

I could have eaten 4 plates of it.

And this is one of the main reasons why I love to travel: the delicious art of discovering new flavors and food.

Back home, one of the first things I did was figure out how to recreate it. The result of that process was this: Best Pasta Al Limone Recipe | An Amalfi Style Lemon Cream Sauce Worth the Calories.

Yum! I could basically eat it every day. However, it is loaded with the decadent goodness that is heavy whipping cream.

So, for those times when I’m craving the zesty flavor but don’t want the richness, I adapted this lighter lemon pasta recipe without cream. While I eat it year-round, this bright lemon pasta is particularly tasty in the spring and summer months.

Planning a trip to Italy’s Amalfi Coast? Be sure to check out The Ultimate Amalfi Coast Travel Guide: 6 Top Tips for Exploring Italy’s Most Iconic Coast.

How to Make This Lemon Pasta Recipe

In a large stockpot, boil the water for the pasta. Salt the water well. (I typically add in a tablespoon of salt for every 4 oz of pasta I’m cooking). Cook the pasta according to package instructions.

While the water is coming to a boil, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a saute pan or a large frying pan. Finely chop the shallot and add to the pan when the olive oil is hot.

Season with salt and pepper and saute the shallots for 4 minutes until softened. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add in the lemon zest and lemon juice, then stir to combine.

When the pasta has finished cooking, grab a pair of tongs and begin quickly lifting out the pasta and adding it to the pan along with plenty of pasta water.

The starchy pasta water adds additional flavor and volume to the sauce. A rough estimate would be 1 tbsp of pasta water for every 4 ounces of pasta you make.

Toss the pasta in the sauce over medium-high heat, then add the parmesan. Cook until the parmesan has melted and thickened the sauce.

Season to taste with additional salt and pepper and top with additional parmesan. Serve immediately.

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