Easy Lemon Pepper Pasta with Parmesan

Pasta lovers rejoice! This creamy Lemon Pepper Pasta with parmesan is a delicious dinner that will quickly become a family favorite. Made with just a handful of ingredients you likely already have on hand at all times and is an easy 20 minute meal, it’s the perfect quick and easy weeknight dinner that is sure to impress. Serve it with extra fresh grated parmesan cheese on top and a crisp glass of white wine or Prosecco for the ultimate in Italian delight!

If you’re a self proclaimed pasta addict like me then this creamy lemon pepper pasta is going to be your new favorite easy dinner recipe. I’m willing to bet you’ve already got each of the ingredients in your fridge, probably at all times.

I’m a huge fan of simple pantry pasta dishes, so if this lemon pepper parmesan pasta excites you, then you should try this Cacio e Pepe recipe or this zesty Lemon Ricotta Pasta dish.

Why You’ll Love This Lemon Pepper Pasta Recipe

• It is easy to make & budget friendly. Made with just 6 simple ingredients you already have at home, this simple pasta dish only needs about 15 minutes of hands on cooking time, making it the perfect cheap easy dinner for two.
• It is comforting. There’s nothing more comforting than a big bowl of creamy pasta!
• It is healthier. Since we are not using heavy cream in this lemon pepper parmesan pasta recipe, only parmesan cheese and pasta water, we’re able to achieve that creamy texture without the extra fat.

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Lemon Pepper Parmesan Pasta Recipe Ingredients & Tested Substitutions

• Fresh Pasta: Since I am gluten free I prefer to use Taste Republic or Cappello’s fresh pastas, specifically linguine & spaghetti, but you can use your favorite brand of pasta. I recommend using smaller pastas like spaghetti, linguine or angel hair pasta.
• Olive Oil: choose a high quality olive oil for this simple pasta dish. If you want more of a garlic pasta flavor, opt for garlic infused olive oil.
• Lemon Juice: I always use fresh squeezed lemon juice, especially because using lemon zest in this lemon pepper pasta recipe is necessary.
• Lemon Zest: This really ups the ante in the lemony flavor, so it is definitely preferable to have fresh lemon on hand when making this recipe, so add it to your grocery list.
• Black Pepper: Fresh cracked black pepper is always preferable but if you only have ground black pepper that works just fine.
• Butter: I prefer to use grass fed unsalted butter but you can use whatever your favorite type of butter is.
• Parmesan Cheese: Use fresh grated high quality, good parmesan cheese in this pasta dish. Alternative you can also use cheeses like grana padano which have a very similar flavor profile.

Lemon Pepper Pasta Step By Step Instructions

1. Grate the Parmesan Cheese. Using a microplane or cheese grater, grate about 1 cup of fresh parmesan cheese and set aside.
2. Juice & Zest Lemon. Using a microplane, zest 1 lemon, then using a lemon juicer extract the juice and set both aside.
3. Prepare Pasta. In a pasta pot over medium heat, bring well salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions, usually about 2-3 minutes if using fresh pasta, 9-12 minutes until al dente if using dried depending on the type of pasta.
4. Prepare lemon pepper creamy parmesan sauce. While the pasta cooks, in a separate pan over medium-low heat, heat butter until melted. Once butter is melted, remove from heat and add 1 ladle full of pasta water. As soon as pasta has finished cooking, add the cooked pasta to the pan, then drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle in freshly grated parmesan cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest and black pepper.
5. Garnish & Serve. Garnish the pasta with additional parmesan cheese & lemon zest and serve.

Watch the video below for step by step visual instructions.

Pro Tips & Tricks

• Add protein. To make this a complete meal, adding protein like diced chicken or grilled shrimp on top of the pasta is the best way to add protein to this delicious meal.
• Don’t skip the pasta water! Since we are not using heavy whipping cream, the addition of pasta water is crucial in creating the creamy pasta sauce we’re after.
• Use high quality parmesan cheese. When making the parmesan cream sauce, I recommend using good quality parmesan cheese, not the pre-grated shelf stable kind as it will not melt as well, meaning you won’t achieve the creamy consistency you’re after in this wonderful recipe.
• Storage tip: If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days after cooking.

If You Liked This Recipe You Might Also Enjoy:

• Lemon Ricotta Pasta
• Cacio e Pepe Pasta
• Zuppa Toscana
• Aperol Spritz
• Strawberry Negroni
• Spaghetti Arrabbiata

Did you have a chance to make this recipe? If so, please leave me a 5 star review below. I always love and appreciate hearing from you!