Lemon lovers venture into new flavors of Italian food with this light, and delicately flavored Creamy Lemon Pesto over angel hair pasta. This zesty sauce is made from simple ingredients and mixed with reserve pasta water to form a creamy, silky sauce with unbelievable flavor.
When you think of classic pesto, you may think of fresh basil leaves and garlic cloves, but pesto can be made of any combination of crushed ingredients. Fresh herbs and nuts are a hallmark of traditional pesto. This lemon pesto pasta recipe has a unique flavor that blends zesty citrusy notes with rich earthy tones seamlessly. It will become one of your favorite condiments.
I want to give credit where it is due. I first saw a lemon pesto recipe on an Instagram post by 177 Milk Street and I was immediately inspired to start experimenting.
The key to this dish is the fresh lemon zest, which adds a fragrant, citrusy aroma that transforms the pasta. Combined with toasted pine nuts, and a generous amount of Parmesan cheese, the sauce becomes rich and savory, while still retaining a fresh, zesty edge. A thin layer of olive oil brings everything together, ensuring the sauce clings perfectly to the pasta, making each bite a delightful mix of tangy, nutty, and cheesy goodness.
Extra zest and sugar in the pasta water really infuses the dish with extra citrus complexity and enhances what tends to be a very delicate flavor.
To top it all off, this great sauce tossed with quick cooking pasta can be a sophisticated yet easy dinner. Finish this lovely lemon pesto pasta with chopped chives for a delicate garnish and serve with a beautiful fresh salad like Burrata Caprese or Lemon Arugula Salad and you can have a temping dinner in under 20 minutes.
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Ingredients
- Lemon Peel - Zest is the base of this delicate pesto recipe. The gentle aroma infuses the thin pasta perfectly.
- Toasted Pine Nuts- The sweet, nutty flavor of toasted pine nuts balances with the lemon
- Parmesan Cheese- I used a domestic Parmesan for this. It is typically a very mild hard cheese with a slightly nutty flavor. Parmigiano Reggiano is great for this dish while being a little more expensive.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil - This oil has fruity notes, absorbs the flavors from all of the other ingredients, and makes the sauce coat the pasta.
- Black Pepper- The strong flavor of black pepper adds just the right amount of heat for the delicate flavors of lemon and parmigiana.
- Sugar-Using a small amount of sugar cuts the bitterness of the lemon zest.
- Chives- These are a perfect addition, and add a very mild onion flavor that accents this light dish.
- Pasta Cooking Water-Important for any good pasta dish, but especially for lemon pesto as it thins the sauce, creates the creamy texture, and encourages the flavor to cling to each noodle.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make it
Step 1: Use a vegetable peeler and carefully peel all three lemons. Remove just the zest, and leave the bitter white pith behind.
Step 2: Place 2 quarts of water, the zest of 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and 1 tablespoon of salt into a large skillet. Bring to a low boil.
Step 3: Heat a small skillet on medium heat. Place pine nuts into the dry skillet and warm for 2-3 minutes until they begin to show color and release a nutty aroma.
Step 4: Place the zest of two lemons, toasted pine nuts, parmesan cheese, sugar, and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the processor, and scrape down the bowl until you have the mixture has a texture of coarse sand.
Slowly add olive oil to the food processor and blend until you have a thick paste of lemon pesto.
Step 5: Heat a large skillet on medium heat and add lemon pesto and freshly cracked black pepper. Warm gently for 2-3 minutes and turn off the heat.
Step 5: Cook pasta, drain, and transfer to the skillet with pesto. Toss lemon pesto, angel hair pasta. Slowly add the reserved pasta cooking water until you get the desired consistency.
Substitutions
- Slivered Almonds: Blanched slivers are a good substitute for pine nuts. Almonds are a hard nut and raw almonds will be gritty and hard to integrate so make sure you use blanched almonds.
- Pecorino Romano Cheese can be used instead of Parmesan or Parmigiano Reggiano. Pecorino has a slightly tangy flavor compared to the nuttiness of parmesan.
Storage
Store leftover lemon pesto pasta in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
To reheat, place in a microwaves safe bowl and cover with a damp paper towel to retain moisture. Warm in 30 second intervals, stirring in between to ensure even cooking.
Pasta can also be reheated on the stove in a pan. Heat a medium sized pan on medium heat. Place the pasta into the pan with 2-3 tablespoons of water and gently warm.
Diana's Tips for Success
Lemon pesto can compliment a variety of pasta shapes, but it works well with lighter, thinner pasta like angel hair.
Angel hair pasta cooks very quickly. To make sure you get al-dente strands, check the pasta 1 full minute before the package cook time is up. It should be around 3-4 minutes for perfectly tender pieces.
Peel your lemons with half pressure to makes sure you only take the zest and not the lemon rinds including the bitter pith.
Top tip
Don't throw out your pasta water. The success of this dish depends on it. The starchy water transforms the coarsely chopped lemon zest, pine nuts, and parmesan into a silky smooth sauce.
FAQs
Not all pesto has basil. Pesto, in Italian, literally means pounded or crushed. So a pesto sauce can be made from a variety of ingredients that are crushed or modernly blended together in a food processor.
Lemon Pesto can be used as topping or pasta sauce and can be served cold or gently warmed. Typically, pesto should not be cooked or simmered because it is meant to be a fresh condiment. High heat will greatly change the flavor of the ingredients and take away from the clean natural taste of fresh ingredients. When warming, the hot pasta and reserve pasta water heat lemon pesto just enough to release the vibrant flavor and help the ingredients combine.
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📖 Recipe
Pasta with Lemon Pesto
Equipment
- 2 Large Skillets
- 1 Small Pan
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Angel Hair Pasta
- 2 Quarts Water
- 3 Large Lemons for zest
- 1 Tablespoon + 1 Teaspoon Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon + 1 Teaspoon Salt
- ¼ Cup Pine Nuts toasted
- ¼ Cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Ounces Parmesan Cheese
- 2 Teaspoons Black Pepper
- **1 cup Reserved Pasta Water
- Chives finely chopped for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Use a vegetable peeler and carefully peel all three lemons. Remove just the zest, and leave the bitter white pith behind.
- Place 2 quarts of water, the zest of 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and 1 tablespoon of salt into a large skillet. Bring to a low boil.
- Heat a small skillet on medium heat. Place pine nuts into the dry skillet and warm for 2-3 minutes until they begin to show color and release a nutty aroma.
- Place the zest of two lemons, toasted pine nuts, parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of salt into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the processor, and scrape down the bowl until you have the mixture has a texture of coarse sand.
- Slowly add olive oil to the food processor and blend until you have a thick paste of lemon pesto.
- Heat a large skillet on medium heat and add lemon pesto and freshly cracked black pepper. Warm gently for 2-3 minutes and turn off the heat.
- Place pasta in the boiling lemon water and cook according to package instructions.
- Reserve 1 Cup of pasta water.
- Drain pasta and transfer to the skillet with pesto. Toss lemon pesto, angel hair pasta. Slowly add the reserved pasta cooking water until you get the desired consistency.
- Garnish with freshly chopped chives and serve.
Notes
- Lemon pesto can compliment a variety of pasta shapes, but it works well with lighter, thinner pasta like angel hair.
- Angel hair pasta cooks very quickly. To make sure you get al-dente strands, check the pasta 1 full minute before the package cook time is up. It should be around 3-4 minutes for perfectly tender pieces.
- Don't throw out your pasta water. The success of this dish depends on it. The starchy water transforms the coarsely chopped lemon zest, pine nuts, and parmesan into a silky smooth sauce.
- Peel your lemons with half pressure to makes sure you only take the zest and not the lemon rinds including the bitter pith.
Nutrition
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Diana Reis says
Enjoy this simple recipe, from my home to yours.
Linda says
I do not see the pesto (basil) listed anywhere in the ingredients. Was this an error? Thank you
Diana Reis says
It's not a mistake. Sorry for the confusion. This is a pesto that uses lemon rind as the base flavor. If you are looking for a basil based pesto (Genovese style), you can find it in my Italian food section. You can also find a few other adventurous pesto recipe using different bases from other parts of Italy in that section as well.