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Getting a meal on the table in 20 minutes can be a challenge, but with this easy one Pan Lemon Garlic Pasta, it doesn’t have to be. Pasta, lemon and garlic all cook together in one pan – making clean-up a snap!
With summer coming, the last thing I want to do is spend any more time in a hot kitchen than I have to. That’s why I love One Pan Meals! They come together quickly and easily, they have few ingredients and they are all cooked in just one pan for super easy clean up. I’m working on developing some more easy one pan meals to add to my tested and tried collection of over 30 (find them HERE). This Lemon Garlic Pasta easily made the cut because it’s full of flavor and comes together in just 20 minutes.
Pasta, butter garlic and lemon juice are cooked together in boiling water in a large saute pan or skillet for about 9 minutes. You want to make sure to season the water with salt as it starts to boil.
Fresh Parmesan and herbs add brightness and freshness to the dish. I like to add a quick squeeze of lemon juice to the top for a extra burst of flavor.
One Pan Lemon Garlic Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound Linguine, uncooked
- 1/4 cup butter divided
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic or 4 cloves finely chopped
- Juice and zest from 1 lemon
- Salt & Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh herbs like parsley or basil
- 1 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
- 4 cups water
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat and cook garlic for 30 seconds to a minute, just until fragrant (careful, as it burns quickly).
- Add water, linguine, remaining butter, lemon juice and zest and salt and pepper to the skillet. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and reduce to medium. Continue to cook pasta until nearly all water is evaporated, stirring often to keep pasta from sticking, about 8-9 minutes. (If pasta needs more cooking time, add a little more hot water).
- Remove from heat and stir in about ¾ cup cup shredded Parmesan Cheese and fresh herbs.
- Divide into bowls and garnish with remaining Parmesan, freshly cracked black pepper and a quick squeeze of lemon juice (option).
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
For more delicious One Pan Meals, be sure to check these out:
One Pan Lemon Chicken & Broccoli Rice
One Pan Tortellini and Italian Sausage
For all One Pan Meals, go HERE and for all Recipes go HERE.
This meal is in our regular rotation and we love it. Even our 2 year old loves it. The only change I make is 2c water and 2c chicken broth (rather than 4c water). So good!
They come together quickly and easily
Thank you for your feedback James.
All I can say is outstanding! I did change it slightly by using all chicken broth rather than water. I also added asparagus at the end with the Parmesan. Totally delicious! I did squeeze additional lemon juice when serving. Will be making again and again. Thank you for sharing!❤️
You are so welcome Aliceanne! Thanks for the awesome feedback.
This looks great! Love the idea of making everything in the same pot – easier to clean and less work. I’ll have to give it a try. Pinning! btw thanks for hosting such a great linky on Wed!
Delicious! I love the one pot!
Nice!
Came out great! Served it as a side with grilled salmon filet. Everyone loved it!
Nice! Thanks for stopping by Theresa.
This was very delicious. It tastes so lovely and light. I will make this again, but as a side dish with chicken and vegetables.
Hi
enjoyed the lemon garlic pasta, but the link to the other recipes only takes you to a jpeg
Glad you enjoyed the pasta! It’s a favorite at our house. I fixed the link, thanks for letting me know.
Thank you for this! I can’t believe it lived up to it’s hype. I mean, an inexpensive one-pot meal that’s ready in 20 minutes?!? Whole family loved it. Will be a go-to meal from now on. I did add extra lemon juice, because my family loves the taste of lemon, and some pre-cooked chicken for some protein.
Yum, this was great with grilled shrimp. Used half chicken broth and half milk, so creamy and then added peas at the end. Everyone asked for the recipe
OMG Kristin! I made this (one-pan lemon garlic pasta) tonight and I was a bit skeptical about the one pan method, thinking it may come out too starchy; how WRONG I was! This was FANTASTIC!!! I prepped everything (lemon juice/rind, grated parm, etc.) before I was ready to make it; under 30 mins from stove to table and my husband LOVED it! I was out of fresh parsley, but I had fresh baby spinach, so cut it into thin strips and added it off the heat with the parm! DELISH!!!! And cleanup took less than 5 mins; everything in the dishwasher and no messy stovetop!!! Thanks so very much!
Great idea to add the spinach. Sounds like a delicious dinner – so glad you both enjoyed it!!
I made this dish as a side today. It was fantastic! We loved it. Little time consuming to prepare but worth it.
O! M! G! Just made this with fresh spaghetti. I used about half of the water, and a little extra garlic + red pepper flakes. It’s beautiful! Cannot wait to eat this later with some grilled scallops. Thank you!
Tried this recipe just the way you recommended it, at the end I added shrimp (grilled). It was awesomely delicious.
Great recipe, will definetely cook this again.
Thanks
I’m about to make this and am adding shrimp. I know I won’t get a reply in time, but any thoughts for people who may want to add shrimp, salmon (ooo that sounds goood) or anything else?
I would cook fish separately from the pasta, if you want to add that. Chicken, you could dice raw and toss in with the pasta as it cooks. You might need to add a little more liquid.
I saw your recipe at the VERY last moment when I found out we had guests coming that were vegan. “Amazing”, “Out of this world”, and best one….”I don’t know who gave you this recipe, but you should thank them 100x over!”!!! THANK YOU x 100!!
A quick not: I exchanged the butter and parm for non-animal based alternates!
So glad to hear Michelle! Thanks for your comment.
I made this with broccoli and goat cheese. It was so amazing. I’m so happy I found this
That sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Just finished making this dinner and we LOVED it! It’s so light and summer-y! Added more garlic and shrimp and that was just the thing! So easy to make, and so good. Definitely making this again soon!
Not in the mood to cook ,but decided how bad could this be?Not bad at all!Used fettuccine noodles and cut the water in half with chicken broth.Very quick and tasty.Have thought this is a great base if you wanted to add vegetables,add asparagus,or a combination of zucchini and tomatoes.