Creamy Lemon Pasta
This is one of those recipes we genuinely make on repeat. Creamy lemon pasta sounds simple, and it is, but the flavour is anything but. You've got this silky, tangy sauce clinging to every strand of pasta, hit with fresh parsley and a proper punch of lemon that just wakes everything up. It's the kind of dinner that feels a bit fancy but comes together in about 15 minutes, which we absolutely love. Make this tonight, you won't regret it.
Before You Start
- Large pot for pasta
- Frying pan
- Microplane or fine grater (for lemon zest)
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 lemons
- 250ml plant-based cream
- Salt & pepper to taste
- parsley
- 150g pasta per person
Method
1
Prepare the ingredients
- Peel and chop the garlic
- Zest and juice one lemon
- Chop the parsley
2
Prepare the pasta
- Pour the pasta into a big pot of boiling salted water and cook according to packet instructions (approx 7-9 mins)
3
Make the sauce
- Warm the olive oil in the frying pan over medium heat, add the garlic and stir for a few minutes not allowing the garlic to brown
- Add the vegan cream
- Add the zest and juice of the lemon and the chopped parsley
4
Finish and serve
- Fold your cooked pasta into the sauce and serve with a sprinkling of nooch and some more salt and pepper
Tips & Variations
- Save that pasta water: Before you drain the pasta, scoop out a mugful of the starchy cooking water. Adding a splash to the sauce when you toss everything together makes it cling to the pasta beautifully. Trust us on this one.
- Go heavy on the lemon: We always end up adding a bit more zest than the recipe says. If you love a zingy, bright pasta, don't hold back. Taste as you go and adjust to what you like.
- Pasta shape matters: We find this works really well with linguine or tagliatelle because the long strands hold the creamy sauce so well. That said, a good rigatoni or penne works great too if that's what you've got in the cupboard.
Why This Works
The trick here is keeping the garlic on a low-medium heat and not letting it brown. It should go soft and fragrant, not bitter. That gentle base is what makes the vegan cream sauce taste so rounded and rich, and then the lemon zest and juice cuts right through it to keep things fresh and bright.