Description
10 Minute Lemon Butter Pasta is a bright, elegant weeknight dinner made with butter, garlic, lemon, rocket, and parmesan. Inspired by Italian cooking and Stanley Tucci’s Searching for Italy, this simple dish delivers restaurant-quality flavor in minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
- 200g dried pasta (fusilli, spaghetti, or penne) or 300g fresh pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 60g unsalted butter, cubed
- Zest and juice of 1 medium lemon
- ¼–½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups fresh rocket (arugula)
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese, to serve
- Salt, for pasta water
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente.
- Reserve at least 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
- Heat olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat.
- Add garlic and cook gently until fragrant, avoiding browning.
- Add ¼ cup reserved pasta water and whisk to emulsify.
- Stir in lemon juice and whisk again.
- Transfer pasta directly into the sauce and toss to coat.
- Add lemon zest, black pepper, and cubed butter.
- Toss until butter melts and sauce becomes creamy.
- Fold in rocket and serve immediately with parmesan.
Notes
Use unsalted butter for best flavor control. Add extra pasta water to loosen sauce if needed. For heat, sprinkle with chili flakes before serving. Best enjoyed immediately while hot and glossy.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 465
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 410mg
- Fat: 24g
- Saturated Fat: 14g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 52g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 14g
- Cholesterol: 55mg
Keywords: lemon butter pasta, 10 minute pasta recipe, quick pasta dinner, italian butter pasta, easy weeknight pasta