Meet the Best Linguine Recipe Ever!
My creamy linguine recipe is delicious, yes, but it’s also great because of how fast it is to make. If you’ve had a DAY at work, or school, this fast, garlicky lemon linguine recipe is here for you. A cozy, creamy, bright and comforting bowl of saucy simple linguine pasta can be yours in no time, with little effort and few dishes. Heck no, it is not a balanced meal. It’s a bowl of straight-up simple carbs. And you’re going to cover it with a dusting of Parmesan cheese and dig right into that carby comfort and you’re not going to worry about it. Instead, you’re going to just say “mmmmmmmmm” and enjoy the fact that you (and this recipe) just saved the day. For even more simple pasta fun, check out our bow tie pasta and fusilli with spicy tomato sauce.
Linguine 101: What Is Linguine Anyway?
I love all noodles but I reach for linguine more often than any other type of noodle. It’s a bit more toothsome than spaghetti or angel hair, a bit less than fettuccine. Linguine is a pasta that’s just right! It’s swirly and twirly and simple sauces like this lemony linguine sauce cling to it perfectly. But what is linguine, exactly? What makes linguine linguine? According to the (very wonderful) Oxford Companion to Italian Food, linguine falls into the category of “ribbon pasta” shapes, along with other favorites like tagliatelle and fettuccine. All of these ribbon pastas fall under the broader category, one that includes long, circular pastas like spaghetti and long, tubular pastas like bucatini, of “pasta lunga” meaning “extruded long pastas”. In other words, linguine is just one of the many, delightful long pastas that require you to swirl them and twirl them onto your fork AKA the most fun kind of pasta.
A Simple, Lovely Sauce For Linguine Noodles
It may not be the most famous culinary holy trinity (that’s onions, peppers and celery, of course) but to me, the combination of zingy, fragrant lemons, the sharpness of garlic and the creamy, richness of butter is a culinary trinity worth celebrating. This simple, fast linguine recipe is bursting with those wonderful flavors.
Here’s what you’ll need to make my simple lemon linguine pasta recipe:
- Linguine: You could use a different pasta (or a gluten-free linguine).
- Garlic: Fresh cloves only! The jarred stuff won’t work.
- Lemons: Fresh lemons, so you can use the juice AND zest.
- Fresh parsley: It makes the dish! And a little color is so nice.
- Red pepper flakes: Just a pinch. If you don’t want the heat, skip it.
- Butter & extra-virgin olive oil: Two types of fat for two layers of flavor.
How to Make the Best Linguine Sauce in 10 Minutes Flat
By the time the table is set, dinner will be served. Here’s how to make dinnertime pasta magic:
- Get your salted pasta water over high heat STAT! It'll take about 10 minutes to come to a boil, which is longer than the rest of the recipe will take. YAY.
- When the water is at a rolling boil, drop in the pasta. Do what the package says to do if you want "al dente" pasta (with a bit of ‘bite’ remaining). Usually it'll take about 8-9 minutes to cook the pasta.
- Make the lemon-garlic-butter sauce! First, stir together the garlic, lemon zest, fresh parsley, salt and red pepper flakes. Then melt the oil and butter together. Then mix the oil-butter into the lemony garlic stuff.
- Toss it all together! When the pasta is perfectly al dente, toss it, along with a scoop of that salty, starchy pasta water, with the sauce. Then grab a fork and dig in!
Tools You’ll Need
More Lovely Linguine Recipes to Try
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