How To Make Lemon Garlic Pasta

Lemon garlic pasta is a Mediterranean-inspired recipe, also called Pasta Al Limone in Italy, where the sauce is made dairy-free using pasta water.

Ingredients

Spaghetti or angel hair pasta. Any thin and long-strand pasta works. Feel free to use low-carb keto spaghetti. See the link in the recipe card for gluten-free pasta like rice pasta, buckwheat, or edamame spaghetti.
Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Reserved Pasta Water from cooked pasta
Fresh Garlic
Freshly Chopped Parsley
Salt
Pepper or red pepper flakes

Serving

This lemon garlic pasta is delicious served with toppings like:

Grated Parmesan cheese, including dairy-free option if vegan.
Chili Flakes
Ground Pepper
Fresh Parsley
Toasted Pine Nuts

Protein Add-Ons

Of course, this pasta recipe is even better with some egg or meat on the side like some of the recipe below.

Sunny-Side Up Egg – add on top of the pasta.
Blackened Chicken
Greek Chicken Marinade – use this on chicken breast and add on side of the pasta.
Cast-Iron Chicken Breast
Lemon Pepper Chicken Tenders

Storage Instructions

This pasta dish can be stored in the fridge in airtight containers for up to four days.

Rewarm pasta in the microwave, in a microwave-safe bowl, or a saucepan over medium heat.

You can freeze the pasta in a sealed container and thaw it in the fridge the day before.

Allergy Swaps

Find below some substitution options to match your dietary requirements or allergies:

Olive Oil – Another healthy oil for cooking is avocado oil. Or, if you prefer a lemon garlic butter sauce. Try grass-fed butter or ghee.
Low-FODMAP – Skip the garlic.
Low-Carb Keto – This sauce is low-carb-friendly. Use your favorite low-carb pasta for this recipe.
Gluten-Free – Use gluten-free spaghetti.

Frequently Asked Questions

Find below my answers to your most frequent questions about this recipe.

Can I Add Heavy Cream To The Sauce?

If you like your pasta creamy, stir in 1/3 cup of heavy cream with the reserved pasta water.

However, you may want to decrease the olive oil to 2 tablespoons, or the dish will be greasy.

Can I Use Butter?

You can use butter, but it’s not as healthy as olive oil.

The best, if you want a butter flavor in the pasta dish, is to use three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and one tablespoon of butter.

Can I Make This Recipe Ahead?

Absolutely! I recommend cooking the pasta in the sauce the day before, cooling it down, and storing it in the fridge to increase resistant starch.

A recent study has shown that refrigerating high-carb food like rice or pasta decreases its impact on blood sugar levels.

It means that making ahead pasta recipes make them healthier and more satisfying as the cooked, cooled pasta turns into fiber-like ingredients, much more challenging to digest.