Meyer Lemon Parmesan Pasta

Cheese and Butter!, Rice, Grains & Pasta by Alicia
Well, here we are.  Being under elective house arrest means we’re all challenged to find new outlets within the perimeters of our homes.  I’ve discovered the exciting world of late 60’s rock.  I was in junior high and then high school when the bands Grand Funk Railroad and Three Dog Night really came on the scene.  We followed Creedence Clearwater Revival and Bachman-Turner Overdrive.  Badfinger, The Guess Who and Alive ‘N Kickin’ had us all jumping and singing to some serious guitar and keyboard work.  Now I’m doing that in the kitchen, working out, even in the shower!  I kind of feel bad in that Jimmy and I wear our AirPods all day so communication between us is sometimes minimal.  Guess that’s one more thing I need to work on.  We’ve been reading so much, too, we’re almost swallowing books whole.  And I’ve been cooking up a storm.  Like this sassy lemon parmesan pasta dish.  Granted, it’s somewhat high in calories but with portion control and a big, ol’ salad on the side, should be okay.  Typically, this dish is prepared with linguine or spaghetti but I saw a bag of these gorgeous, fat, garlic herb papardelle and, predictably, couldn’t resist.  As I stood patiently in line at the grocery store waiting to be rung up, I quarandreamed of wide ribbons of papardelle bathed in a thick, silky sauce of cream, nutty shards of grated parmesan and bright, sunny hints of fresh Meyer lemon.  Y’all, if you haven’t played in your kitchen with Meyer lemons, you need to pick you up a bag and remedy that, tout suite.  Meyer lemons are much sweeter and lighter than the common Lisbon lemon found at most grocery stores. That said, if all you have on hand is a couple of conventional lemons that’s absolutely fine to use.  All lemons are wonderful in my kingdom.  I find Meyer lemons taste as though they have a trace of orange or grapefruit in them.  They’re quite lovely and really shine in recipes with few ingredients… like this one.  As it calls for a scant number of ingredients, try to get your hands on the best quality out there.  This recipe cooks up fast so have all your ingredients ready, make certain to heavily salt your pasta water and you’ll be all set.  Enjoy!

Meyer Lemon Parmesan Pasta

  • Servings: 6 side
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print
  • 12 ounces linguine, spaghetti, pappardelle or pasta shape of your choice
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • grated peel of 1 Meyer lemon or 2 conventional lemons
  • 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice or conventional lemon juice
  • 1 finely grated garlic clove
  • 1 1/4 cups finely grated Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season well with salt.  Cook pasta according to package directions.
  2. While the water boils for the pasta, heat a large, high sided skillet to medium-high and add cream and butter.
  3. When butter has melted add lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir.
  4. Add garlic, parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.  Remove from heat and stir well.
  5. Taste sauce and add salt and pepper as needed.
  6. Drain pasta, reserving 1/3 cup cooking water on the side.  Pour drained pasta into sauce and gently stir until all the pasta has been covered with the sauce.  If the sauce is too thick, add a little of the reserved pasta water.
  7. Wait 2-3 minutes for the pasta to absorb some of the sauce then serve.

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