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Home Recipe Index Pasta and Pizza

Creamy Lemon Pasta Sauce

★★★★★ 5 /5
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Polly Conner
By: Polly ConnerPosted: 3/24/22Updated: 7/12/23

This post may contain affiliate or sponsored links. Please read our disclosure policy.

This Creamy Lemon Pasta Sauce (formally titled Citrus Pasta) comes together in minutes. Bright flavors like lemon and orange zest and fresh basil lighten up the decadent cream sauce. Mmmm, sooo good.

Creamy lemon pasta sauce over spaghetti

I have been making this pasta sauce for years and years. It comes together quickly and is a total crowd pleaser. It’s fresh, zesty, and full of flavor.

Table of Contents
  • Ingredients in Creamy Lemon Pasta Sauce
  • How to Make Lemon Pasta Sauce
  • What Goes Well with Lemon Pasta Sauce?
  • Pasta Pro Tips
  • Creamy Lemon Pasta Sauce

Ingredients in Creamy Lemon Pasta Sauce

With just a few heavy-hitter ingredients, you’ll have restaurant quality pasta on your plate in no time.

  • Heavy cream – I’ve tried it with half & half and it just doesn’t work. Heavy cream is a must.
  • Sherry cooking wine – This acid brightens up the dish and heightens the flavors. The alcohol cooks off when it simmers.
  • Lemon & orange zest – Use a microplane zester for this. You taste the lemon the most between the two of these.
  • Fresh basil – Fresh is far better than dried!
ingredients for lemon pasta sauce on a cutting board

How to Make Lemon Pasta Sauce

The great thing about this sauce is that it comes together fast! In fact, I almost always make it right alongside the pasta.

While the pasta boils, gently simmer the cream, sherry, zests, and salt for 7-10 minutes until it starts to thicken up. Then remove it from the heat.

After the pasta is cooked and drained, add the sauce and parmesan cheese and toss it with tongs until well combined.

Parmesan cheese over he top of cooked pasta

What Goes Well with Lemon Pasta Sauce?

Here are a few ideas on how to make the most of this recipe:

  • Serve it with shrimp! I’ve added cooked shrimp to my pasta when I use this sauce and it’s DIVINE.
  • It pairs well with Oven Roasted Asparagus. Asparagus cooks up fast in the oven so it could be roasting while you make the pasta.
  • Add in some grilled, chopped Lemon Garlic Chicken. An easy way to add some protein.
Creamy lemon pasta sauce in a white bowl

Pasta Pro Tips

Here are some general tips in order to make pasta like a pro!

  1. Salt the water. After your water comes to a boil, add in salt (here’s how much). This allows the pasta to absorb the salt from the inside out.
  2. Don’t overcook it! I almost always err on the shorter cooking side when given a range.
  3. Use a big pot and plenty of water. Fill your pot with at least 2 quarts for each ½ pound of pasta. This will help prevent your pasta from sticking together during cooking.
  4. Stir right away and every couple of minutes. Pasta will want to start clumping together if you don’t give it a stir.
  5. Don’t rinse your pasta after it’s been drained. While it may seem logical, don’t run cold water over your hot pasta. You’ll risk losing the flavorful starches that will help sauces cling to it later.
A for with a bite of pasta on it

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★★★★★ 5 from 1 review

Creamy Lemon Pasta Sauce

While this pasta dish is warm and creamy, the lemon and orange zests brighten it up and bring a big flavor!

Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Prep: 15 minutesCook: 15 minutesTotal: 30 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 12 oz. spaghetti or linguine
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons cognac or 2 tablespoons dry sherry (sherry cooking wine will work)
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • zest of 1 navel orange
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more for the pasta water
  • 12 leaves fresh basil, chopped or torn
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • optional: add 1 lb of cooked shrimp to the pasta. I love it this way!

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

Instructions

  1. Cook pasta according to directions until al dente, making sure to salt the water once it comes to a boil. Drain.
  2. While pasta is cooking, warm the cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
  3. Add in the dry sherry, lemon and orange zest, and salt. Simmer for 7-10 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat and stir in the basil.
  5. Toss the hot, drained pasta with the sauce and grated cheese.
© Author: Polly Conner
Cuisine: Italian Method: Stove top

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Polly Conner

Polly Conner

As co-founder of Thriving Home, Polly’s passionate about helping busy parents get dinner on the table. With a house full of kids, dogs, and (usually) a DIY project in the works, she knows firsthand how every minute (and every dollar) counts. As a business owner, she enjoys wearing multiple hats and serves best as a project manager for Thriving Home.

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  1. AvatarTracey G says

    Posted on 12/7/22 at 3:06 pm

    Have you ever substituted a non dairy creamer in this recipe (something like nutpod for example?) looks delish but I’m dairy free

    Reply
    • Rachel TiemeyerRachel Tiemeyer says

      Posted on 12/8/22 at 11:44 am

      I haven’t tried that with this recipe yet. Let us know if you do!

      Reply
  2. AvatarMaureen says

    Posted on 11/30/22 at 8:52 am

    Your recipe looks delicious. However, your calorie count (based on 4 servings, as stated) is way off. 3 oz of dry pasta + 1/4 cup heavy cream is more than 500 calories, not even counting the other ingredients (like cheese).

    Reply
    • Rachel TiemeyerRachel Tiemeyer says

      Posted on 11/30/22 at 2:12 pm

      Thanks for letting us know. You’re right. Our nutrition software doesn’t seem to have the right info for those ingredients, so I just emailed their customer service to get to the bottom of it.

      Reply
  3. AvatarBarb says

    Posted on 5/26/22 at 5:10 pm

    This was a great change from our regular creamy pasta dishes. The citrus flavors came through nicely. I added the shrimp as suggested and my family loved it. We will be adding this recipe to our regular meals!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Rachel TiemeyerRachel Tiemeyer says

      Posted on 5/27/22 at 9:50 am

      Wonderful to hear that, Barb! Thanks for taking the time to leave a rating!

      Reply
  4. Avatartracy says

    Posted on 9/28/18 at 7:38 pm

    what about the shrimp? I see shrimp in the pictured dish, don’t I?

    Reply
    • PollyPolly says

      Posted on 10/1/18 at 9:15 am

      I love to toss in a pound of cooked shrimp. Just updated the recipe to include that suggestion. Sorry for the confusion!

      Reply
  5. Avatarheather says

    Posted on 8/11/15 at 12:59 pm

    Substitue the sherry or cognac with chicken broth?

    Reply
    • RachelRachel says

      Posted on 8/12/15 at 7:51 am

      Sure, that would work just fine!

      Reply

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