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This single serving pasta al limone is a bright lemon pasta made with spaghetti, butter, Parmesan, garlic, and fresh lemon juice. Ready in about 15 minutes, it delivers a smooth, silky sauce without heavy cream and makes one generous serving.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Bright Lemon Flavor: Pasta al limone features a simple lemon butter sauce made with Parmesan, garlic, and fresh lemon for bold, balanced flavor.
- Light and Creamy Without Cream: This lemon pasta uses butter, cheese, and starchy pasta water to create a smooth, silky sauce without heavy cream.
- Quick to Make: Ready in about 15 minutes, this is a great option when you want a fast, satisfying pasta dish.
- Perfectly Portioned: This single serving lemon pasta makes one generous bowl and can easily be doubled to serve two.
I love how the lemon, butter, and Parmesan melt into a smooth, glossy sauce that coats every strand of pasta. It’s the kind of simple, well-balanced dish I make again and again because it delivers so much flavor with just a handful of ingredients.
Looking for more single serving pasta recipes? Try our fresh Caprese pasta for one, pasta carbonara for one, mushroom pasta for one, or creamy chicken paprika with pasta.
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this easy lemon pasta recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
- Spaghetti: Use 2 ounces of dry spaghetti, which yields about 1 cup of cooked pasta. Linguine, angel hair, or bucatini also work well in pasta al limone. A kitchen scale but a 2 1/8-inch bundle of dry spaghetti is a good visual guide. Extra spaghetti can be used in chicken tetrazzini for one or a single serving of pesto pasta.
- Butter: I use salted butter to add richness and balance the bright lemon flavor.
- Olive Oil: Extra virgin olive oil adds depth and a light fruity flavor to the sauce. It is less processed than other olive oils and works especially well in simple pasta dishes like pasta al limone. Light olive oil can be used if preferred.
- Lemon: Use one small lemon for both the zest and juice. Fresh lemon zest adds aroma while the juice gives the sauce its signature brightness. Extra lemon juice can be used in a mini lemon cake.
- Garlic: One clove of minced garlic adds gentle savory flavor without overpowering the lemon.
Recipe Variations
Pasta al limone is simple by design, but it adapts easily with a few additions.
- Lemon Pasta with Chicken: Stir in cooked chicken or chopped rotisserie chicken to make the dish more filling.
- Creamy Lemon Pasta: Add 1 tablespoon of heavy cream to the sauce and warm it gently before tossing with the pasta.
- Lemon Pesto Pasta: Stir in 1 tablespoon of homemade pesto for added herb flavor that pairs well with lemon.
- Lemon Shrimp Pasta: Add cooked shrimp just before serving for extra protein without changing the sauce.
How To Make Pasta al Limone
These photos walk you through the key steps. For exact ingredient amounts and full details, see the recipe card below.
- Cook the pasta: Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water, then drain.
- Make the lemon butter sauce: Melt the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the lemon zest and garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the lemon juice.
- Toss the pasta: Add the cooked spaghetti to the skillet. Pour in some of the reserved pasta water and add the Parmesan cheese. Toss until the pasta is coated and the sauce thickens.
- Finish and serve: Remove from heat. Taste and add a pinch of salt if needed. Add more pasta water if the sauce looks dry. Transfer to a bowl and finish with extra Parmesan and fresh basil or parsley, if using.
Expert Tips
- Have everything ready before you start. Pasta al limone cooks quickly, so measure your ingredients and read through the recipe first to avoid rushing.
- Salt the pasta water well. Use 3/4 to 1 teaspoon of salt for every 4 cups of water. Properly seasoned pasta makes a noticeable difference in the finished dish, especially in simple lemon pasta recipes.
- Reserve the pasta water. The starchy cooking water helps loosen the sauce, adds flavor, and helps the lemon butter sauce cling to the pasta. Add it a little at a time until the sauce looks glossy and coats the noodles.
Serving Suggestions
This lemon pasta pairs well with simple proteins and light sides:
- Chicken Piccata For One for a bright, lemon-forward pairing
- Baked Pork Chop for a hearty, savory contrast.
- Salmon For One for a clean, balanced seafood option
- Crusty Bread to soak up the lemon butter sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Traditional pasta al limone does not use cream. The sauce is made creamy with butter, cheese, and starchy pasta water.
Spaghetti is most common, but linguine, angel hair, or bucatini also work well because they hold the lemon butter sauce nicely.
Pasta water helps loosen the sauce, adds flavor, and helps the butter and cheese cling to the pasta.
Yes. This recipe makes one generous serving and can easily be doubled to serve two.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you’ve tried this easy lemon pasta recipe or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
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Pasta al Limone For One
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ounces dry spaghetti -2 ⅛ inches (circumference) and yields 1 cup of cooked spaghetti.
- 1 ½ tablespoons salted butter
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 clove garlic -minced
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons shredded or grated Parmesan cheese -divided
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water, then drain.
- Melt the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the lemon zest and garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the lemon juice.
- Add the cooked spaghetti to the skillet. Pour in 2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta water and add 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese. Toss until the pasta is coated and the sauce thickens.
- Remove from heat. Taste and add a pinch of salt if needed. Add more pasta water if the sauce looks dry. Transfer to a bowl and finish with extra Parmesan and fresh basil or parsley, if using.
Notes
- Have everything ready before you start. Pasta al limone cooks quickly, so measure your ingredients and read through the recipe first to avoid rushing.
- Salt the pasta water well. Use 3/4 to 1 teaspoon of salt for every 4 cups of water. Properly seasoned pasta makes a noticeable difference in the finished dish, especially in simple lemon pasta recipes.
- Reserve the pasta water. The starchy cooking water helps loosen the sauce, adds flavor, and helps the lemon butter sauce cling to the pasta. Add it a little at a time until the sauce looks glossy and coats the noodles.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This pasta has a wonderful flavour, light & tangy. I am going to try some shredded chicken in it. Thank you.
I made this and it was delicious
I have not made this yet, but if I wanted it to be more creamy, would you suggest cream cheese or something else? If so, how much for a single serving?
I recommend adding 1 tablespoon of heavy cream to the sauce, heating it briefly before mixing it with the pasta.
Amazingly good and fresh tasting! I tripled the recipe because doubling didn’t seem like enough portion size for a main course dinner for two… Flad I did that. Served it with a warm rosemary bread loaf with oil and balsamic for dipping. Definitely will make again.
What a great meal for a late dinner! I made it as written. It’s light, yummy, quick, easy, and hits the spot. Gotta do it again and try adding whatever else is on hand. Thanks!
When you add cream to the sauce, how do you keep the cream from separating, becoming curdeled?
Our recipe does not call for adding cream but it can be added if you’d like a creamier sauce. Stir in a tablespoon into the sauce and heat, stirring frequently for about 1 minute. The sauce will not curdle. The heavy cream will thicken the sauce as it heats and then add the pasta to the pan.
Made this for my dinner last dinner and it was absolutely delicious! Very quick, used ingredients that I always have in my kitchen, and it served me exactly the right portion. So glad I found your site!
Thank you!
I love this. Lemon, butter, garlic, parm, what’s not to love. But I use 1 ounce of pasta rather than 2 oz to save carbs and lower calories.
Really good recipe! I made this using some preserved Meyer lemons that I have. Tossed in a few shrimp and some cut up asparagus to saute with the lemon and garlic. Delicious meal!
Sounds wonderful, Christine. I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for your feedback.
Good recipe.