Creamy Lemon Pasta with Fried Pine Nuts
Cozy creamy lemon pasta with fried pine nuts and fresh basil is a simple, flavorful meal for summer! Serve on its own with a light side salad or alongside grilled chicken or shrimp for a crowd.
Ingredients
Fried Pine Nuts
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pinch Kosher salt
Creamy Lemon Pasta
- 1 pound rigatoni or other long/tube-shaped pasta
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 small garlic cloves minced
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest about 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup lemon juice about 2 lemons
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups pasta water
- 2.5 ounces grated Parmesan about 3/4 cup
- Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
- Julienned basil, Parmesan, and lemon zest for serving
Instructions
Fried Pine Nuts
- In a small pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the pine nuts, and cook, stirring constantly, until toasty. Spoon the pine nuts onto a plate and sprinkle with salt. Set aside.
Creamy Lemon Pasta
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta, stirring frequently, one minute less than al dente according to package directions. Remember to reserve 1 1/2 c. of pasta water before draining!
- While pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and cream until emulsified. Let cool over low heat, stirring frequently, until the pasta is finished cooking.
- Add 1/2 cup of pasta water to the sauce and stir until smooth and slightly thickened. Toss the drained pasta with the sauce, and add the grated Parmesan in small handfuls until melted and smooth. If the sauce is too thick, add more splashes of pasta water until nice and creamy - I usually end up using about 1 cup total. Taste, and add salt if necessary.
- Divide the pasta between four bowls. Top with the fried pine nuts, basil, more Parmesan, and black pepper. Enjoy!
Notes
Starchy pasta water is essential for this sauce! Make sure to save at least 1 cup, but preferably 1 1/2 cups to be safe.
The sauce will thicken as it cools, so go saucier when in doubt. If you add too much pasta water, just stir over low heat until it thickens a bit.
Serving: 1bowl, Calories: 821kcal, Carbohydrates: 87.8g, Protein: 22.6g, Fat: 43.6g, Saturated Fat: 21.8g, Cholesterol: 100mg, Sodium: 308mg, Potassium: 108mg, Fiber: 4.5g, Sugar: 4.8g, Calcium: 189mg, Iron: 5mg
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