Lemon Butter Pasta Peas (Printer-friendly)

Tender peas and lemon-butter sauce coat pasta, topped with Parmesan and fresh parsley for a bright dish.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz linguine or spaghetti

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 cup fresh or frozen green peas
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - Zest of 1 lemon
05 - 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
06 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

→ Dairy and Fats

07 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
08 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

→ Seasonings

09 - 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for pasta water
10 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

# Steps:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
02 - While pasta cooks, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant, but not browned.
03 - Stir in the peas and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. If using frozen peas, cook until heated through; if using fresh, cook until just tender.
04 - Add lemon zest and juice to the skillet, stirring to combine ingredients thoroughly.
05 - Add the drained pasta to the skillet along with 1/2 cup reserved pasta water. Toss to coat the pasta evenly in the sauce.
06 - Sprinkle in Parmesan cheese, salt, and black pepper. Toss until the cheese melts and the sauce becomes silky, adding more pasta water as needed for a creamy consistency.
07 - Remove from heat and stir in chopped parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
08 - Transfer to serving plates immediately. Top with extra Parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of black pepper.

# Top Tips:

01 -
  • It's ready faster than you can boil water: weeknight dinners don't get easier than this.
  • The sauce tastes intentional and elegant despite requiring no cream or complicated techniques: butter, lemon, and timing do all the heavy lifting.
  • Fresh peas add a pop of sweetness that makes each bite feel a little bit special: no fancy ingredients required.
02 -
  • Don't skip reserving the pasta water: the starch in this liquid is what creates the creamy sauce, not cream itself, so if you drain it away you've lost the whole magic.
  • Medium heat is your friend: rushing this dish by cranking up the temperature causes the butter to separate and the cheese to seize into little grainy bits instead of melting smoothly.
03 -
  • Zest your lemon before you juice it: trying to zest a juice-drained lemon is a frustrating exercise in futility.
  • Keep the pasta slightly warmer than you think you need it to be: it will continue cooking slightly when it hits the butter, so al dente is genuinely the target here.
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