Gremolata Spaghetti
This one is a proper weeknight hero. Gremolata is one of those things that sounds fancy but is honestly just parsley, garlic and lemon zest chopped together, and it completely transforms a bowl of pasta into something that tastes like you really know what you're doing. We love how bright and zingy it is, all that fresh citrus and herby punch cutting through the richness of the pasta. It's the kind of recipe we come back to again and again when we want something that feels special but takes almost no effort at all. Make this tonight, you won't regret it.
Before You Start
- Box grater
- Large mixing bowl
- Large pan of boiling salted water
Ingredients
- 60g flat leaf parsley
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 large unwaxed lemon
- 100ml extra virgin olive oil
- salt, pepper & chilli flakes to taste
- 250g spaghetti
- handful of hazelnuts crushed
- parsley leaves to garnish
- lemon zest to garnish
- pinch of chilli flakes
- Handful of Nooch
- Black pepper
Method
Prepare the pasta
- Bring a big pan of water to the boil, throw in a big pinch of salt, add the pasta and cook according to packet instructions (approx 9 minutes)
Make the gremolata
- Roughly rip the parsley leaves off the stems, finely chop the leaves (reserving a few whole for garnish) and add to a bowl
- Peel the garlic and grate with the fine side of a box grater
- Zest the lemon
- Halve the lemon and squeeze the juice over the parsley leaves
- Add the garlic, lemon zest and olive oil to the bowl and stir to combine, adding more olive oil as needed to achieve a pesto-like consistency
- Taste and season to perfection with salt, pepper and a little chilli
Finish the dish
- Ladle a little pasta water into the gremolata mixing bowl and stir to combine
- Drain the pasta, pour the pasta back in the pan, pour over the gremolata, stir to cover (adding more pasta water as needed to achieve a pesto-like consistency) and coat well
- Transfer to serving bowls and garnish with the reserved parsley leaves, crushed hazelnuts, some more lemon zest and chilli flakes, a good crack of black pepper and serve immediately
Tips & Variations
- Salt your pasta water generously: We know everyone says this but it genuinely matters here. The gremolata is bright and bold so you need the pasta itself to have flavour too, otherwise the whole thing falls a bit flat.
- Don't skip the lemon zest: The zest is where most of the lemon flavour lives. The juice adds acidity but the zest adds that proper citrus perfume that makes this dish taste so fresh and lively. Use a fine grater and don't hold back.
- Serve it straight away: This one is best eaten the moment it's ready. The gremolata wilts and the pasta absorbs the moisture pretty quickly, so get everyone to the table before you toss it together.
Why This Works
The trick here is the gremolata itself. Keeping it raw and fresh rather than cooking it means all that lemon zest and garlic stays punchy and vibrant, and when you toss it through hot pasta the heat just gently wakes everything up without killing the brightness. That contrast between the warm pasta and the fresh, zippy topping is what makes it sing.