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Pasta al Limone Recipe

2023-10-20

Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 5 tablespoons (70g) unsalted butter

  • Finely grated zest of 1 lemon, plus fresh juice to taste and additional grated zest for serving

  • 1 medium clove garlic, minced

  • Kosher salt

  • 1 pound (450g) fresh spaghetti, store-bought or homemade

  • 1 ounce (30g) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving

  • Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
  1. Meanwhile, in a medium pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until just shy of al dente. Reserve about 1 cup (240ml) of the starchy pasta water, then drain pasta.

  2. Add pasta to butter mixture, along with 1/2 cup (120ml) reserved pasta water. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring and tossing to coat, until pasta is glazed in a satiny, emulsified sauce.

  3. Add grated cheese and toss and stir rapidly until sauce thickens; if it becomes too tight and dry at any time, add more pasta-cooking water to loosen it sufficiently. Add lemon juice to taste, starting with 1 tablespoon (15ml), then adding more until desired tartness is reached. Season with salt and pepper.