Lemon Garlic Butter Pasta is a recipe you can make with minimal effort and ingredients but it always tastes great. Frugally using up kitchen spices and noodles to create a dish that's cheap, easy, and perfect for dinner.
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We make a simple lemon butter garlic pasta sauce and toss our noodles in it to create a classy tasting dish that's completely homemade. This meal is something you're going to look forward to over and over again.
This pasta is also great for busy nights because it uses simple ingredients you likely already have on hand, just butter, garlic, lemon, and dry pasta. No special shopping trip required, and the whole meal still feels bright and comforting.
Serve Lemon Garlic Butter Pasta up with a side of Italian Green Beans with Tomatoes or Frozen Garlic Bread in Air Fryer for a complete meal. For a different variation of this recipe, make sure to check out my Zucchini Penne Pasta.
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💛 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's a faster dinner option. Made in just minutes, you can be eating this pasta meal in 20 minutes or less. Perfect for when you're in a hurry! Faster dinner options like this and our Lazy Enchiladas With Taquitos are fabulous for busy schedules.
- It's customizable! Add in meats like shrimp, cooked chicken, or steak. Use fresh parmesan cheese instead of canned, etc. Adjust the recipe to suit your wants and tastebuds.
- Even the leftovers taste incredible! Enjoy this butter garlic lemon pasta on any night of the week and look forward to leftovers the next day because they taste just as good.
🛒 Ingredients
Spaghetti noodles- You'll want to use spaghetti noodles for this recipe, but in all honesty, any noodle variety would work just fine. Note that we also use spaghetti noodles in our Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti recipe.
Reserved pasta water- This will help to create a sauce and help it to thicken and cling to the noodles.
Lemon juice- Use fresh lemon juice or bottled depending on what's easiest. This will add a nice contrast of flavor by adding freshness and acidity.
Parmesan cheese- I like to use the green containers of grated parmesan cheese because it's cheap and always in my fridge, but you can just as easily use freshly shredded parmesan.
See the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions.
🔀 Substitutions & Variations
Noodles. Any long pasta works, linguine, fettuccine, angel hair, or even bucatini. Just adjust the boiling time based on thickness.
Creamier Version. Swap the reserved pasta water for ½ cup heavy cream to turn this into a silky lemon cream sauce.
Cheese Options. Freshly shredded parmesan melts smoother than the green can, but both work. Romano or Asiago can also be used for a sharper taste.
🥣 Recipe Add-Ins
Vegetable Add-Ins. Red pepper flakes, tomatoes, peppers, blanched asparagus tips, or artichoke hearts all blend beautifully into this pasta. Sundried tomatoes add a Tuscan feel, similar to our Creamy Roasted Garlic and Tomato Pasta.
Seafood or Meat Options.
- Chicken: Add cooked chicken breasts, rotisserie chicken, or leftover Air Fryer Chicken Breasts and toss to coat.
- Shrimp: Warm cooked shrimp by tossing frozen tiny pre-cooked shrimp into the pasta water during the last minute of boiling.
- Steak/Other Proteins: Sliced steak, salmon, or even canned chicken work well too.
Zucchini Variation. If you have zucchini to use, try my Zucchini Penne Pasta, which is a flavorful twist on this same recipe base.
💰 Budget-Friendly Tips
Swap the lemon. Fresh lemons are great, but bottled lemon juice works perfectly and is cheaper per ounce (and lasts longer).
Choose budget cheese. The green-can parmesan is the most affordable option and melts beautifully into the sauce. Save freshly shredded parmesan for special occasions.
Stretch with veggies or protein. Adding inexpensive vegetables like zucchini, spinach, or cherry tomatoes, or small portions of leftover chicken or shrimp, can turn this into a more filling meal without much added cost.
🥄 Instructions for Lemon Garlic Butter Pasta
Step 1: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add in your spaghetti noodles. Cook according to the package directions, reserving ½ cup of pasta water before you drain it.
Step 2: To prevent the pasta from sticking as it sits in the colander, you can choose to run it under cold water and toss in a little olive oil.
Step 3: Return your empty pot to the stove over medium heat. Add in the butter and let it melt completely.
Step 4: Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Step 5: Add in lemon juice, salt, pepper, parmesan cheese, and ¼ cup of pasta water.
Step 6: Remove from heat and stir in the cooked spaghetti noodles.
If desired you can slowly add in more pasta water until you get a good coating on all of your noodles. You shouldn't need much as this won't be a "wet" noodle recipe.
Step 7: Garnish with fresh parsley leaves if desired.
Serve warm.
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
- Fresh Lemons. While fresh lemons offer a vibrant taste, bottled lemon juice is a convenient alternative that works just as well.
- Parmesan Cheese. For a delightful melt-in-your-mouth texture, consider using freshly shredded Parmesan cheese.
- Garlic Intensity. Feel free to adjust the amount of garlic to your liking, adding more cloves for a bolder flavor or reducing them for a milder taste profile.
❄️ Storage and Reheating
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Reheating:
Larger portions: Reheat in a pot over medium heat with a splash of water or a little butter until warmed through.
Single servings: Microwave for 1-2 minutes, stirring halfway for even heating.
🥗 Side Dishes or Pairing Ideas
This pasta pairs well with light, simple sides like garlic bread and a fresh green salad. For veggie options, try Air Fryer Canned Green Beans, Cast Iron Green Beans, Microwave Yellow Squash, or Instant Pot Steamed Broccoli for an easy and well-rounded meal.
- Air Fryer Canned Green BeansRecipe $1.79 / Serving $0.45
- Cast Iron Green BeansRecipe $2.34 / Serving $0.39
- Microwave Yellow SquashRecipe $2.29 / Serving $0.57
- Air Fryer Frozen Garlic BreadRecipe $2.24 / Serving $0.28
❓ Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can use any noodle of choice to pair with this sauce. Feel free to use short-cut noodles like penne or long noodles like linguine. Whatever you have on hand should work just fine.
You can keep this pasta dish in your fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days, giving you plenty of time to repurpose or enjoy the leftovers (assuming that there are any).
During the hotter summer months, I enjoy making this recipe in the early morning/afternoon before the house gets hot and then simply reheating it again before dinner. It works great this way because the house doesn't heat up too much and we can all enjoy a light dinner.
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- Ramen with Egg and CheeseRecipe $1.76 / Serving $0.44
- One Pot Cheeseburger PastaRecipe $10.25 / Serving $1.28
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🐝 If you tried this Lemon Garlic Butter Pasta, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your buzz in the 💬 comments below. I'd truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Lemon Garlic Butter Pasta
Ingredients
- 16 ounces spaghetti noodles - ($0.98)
- ½ cup pasta water, reserved - ($0.00)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter - ($0.50)
- 4 teaspoons garlic, minced - ($0.26)
- ⅓ cup lemon juice - ($0.29)
- 1 teaspoon salt - ($0.01)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper - ($0.04)
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated - ($0.74)
- fresh parsley, chopped, optional
Instructions
- Cook Pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to package directions. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water, then drain.
- Make Sauce. Return the empty pot to the stove over medium heat. Add the butter and let it melt. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Finish Sauce. Stir in the lemon juice, salt, black pepper, Parmesan cheese, and ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water. Remove from heat.
- Combine. Add the cooked spaghetti and toss until evenly coated. Add additional pasta water a little at a time if needed to loosen the sauce.
- Serve. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired and serve warm.
Notes
- Pasta Options. Any long pasta works. Adjust cooking time as needed.
- Cheese. Freshly grated Parmesan melts best.
- Creamy Version. Add a splash of heavy cream for a richer sauce.
- Add Ins. Cooked chicken or shrimp pair well with the lemon garlic flavor.
- Storage. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave.
Nutritional Information
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