You won't believe how good this Limoncello Pasta is! Use limoncello to deglaze and build a sweet, savory, lemony sauce!
I'm not going to lie, this recipe shocked me.
I had no idea how this would turn out, or if it would even taste good at all. But, man, limoncello pasta is delicious.
I still had leftover limoncello after making my Limoncello Spritz recipe, and I didn't want to drink it all, so I had to find a way to use it. It should come as no surprise that my first thought was to use it in a pasta dish.
This recipe is perfectly balanced between sweet, acidic, savory, and creamy!
Why you'll love this recipe
- Simple Ingredients - You may already have these in your pantry!
- Unique Flavor - Limoncello pasta is SO different from most lemon pastas because of the sweetness!
- Customizable - Add veggies or proteins as you like.
What you need for this recipe
Ingredients and Substitutions:
- Fettuccine Pasta - Any type of pasta will work, but I recommend long shapes such as fettuccine, linguine, spaghetti, etc.
- Limoncello Liqueur - Any limoncello will work, though you may want one with a lower sugar content.
- Lemons - For zest and juice!
- Salted Butter - Vegan or regular salted butter.
- Creme Fraîche - If necessary, substitute with mascarpone cheese or heavy cream.
- Garlic - Fresh sliced garlic. Please do not use the pre-minced garlic in a jar.
- Parmigiano Reggiano - Or pecorino, do not use the grated cheese that comes in the green tube!
How to make this recipe
Step 1: Prepare Ingredients
Begin by thinly slicing or mincing garlic cloves, zesting and juicing the lemon, grating parmesan.
Additionally, boil pasta according to box instructions, and always reserve about ¼ cup of pasta water if you need to thin the sauce at the end.
Step 2: Make the Sauce
In a large pot or pan, add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil or butter over medium heat.
Add the zest from the lemon and the sliced garlic and sauté just until the garlic is fragrant. Remove it from the heat if it begins to brown to avoid it burning.
While the pot is still on the heat, add the limoncello to deglaze the pan, using a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape the bottom of the pan.
Let it simmer until au sec, or almost dry.
Add in the creme fraîche and mix together until melted.
Then add the fresh squeezed lemon juice. Stir until well combined.
Step 3: Finishing Touches
Add the cooked pasta to the pan of lemon sauce, along with the grated parmesan and cold butter.
While removed from the heat source, but the pan is still hot, stir continuously until the butter is fully emulsified into the sauce.
Season with salt and pepper and serve hot.
Garnish with more cheese and fresh parsley or chives.
Expert Tips and Tricks:
- Be sure to use cold butter and add it in OFF the heat, to ensure that the butter emulsifies into the sauce rather than melts.
- If you can't get creme fraîche, I recommend using mascarpone cheese, soft cream cheese, or good quality heavy cream.
- I really don't recommend substituting the limoncello for anything else. Something like wine or even a lemon-flavored spirit will not yield the same balance of citrus and sweetness.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Limoncello works so well in this limoncello pasta as an alcohol to deglaze, similarly to white wine or vodka.
Lemon pasta tends to have a great balance of tang and creaminess, but it would pair well with greens like a salad or roasted brussel sprouts.
Limoncello tastes strongly of citrus, sweetness, and the sting of liquor. Some say it tastes the way a lemon candle may smell.
Related Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Limoncello Pasta
Equipment
- 1 Medium-sized pot
- 1 Large pot or pan
- 1 Zester/Grater
- 1 Sharp Knife
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 ounces Fettuccine or Tagliatelle Pasta
- 8 oz Creme Fraîche
- ⅓ cup Limoncello liqueur
- ¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano grated
- ½ tablespoon Lemon zest
- ¼ cup Lemon juice fresh squeezed, 1 lemon juiced
- 2 cloves Garlic sliced
- 2 tablespoon Salted butter cold
- 1 teaspoon Salt plus more to taste
- Chives or Parsely for garnish
Instructions
- Begin by thinly slicing or mincing garlic cloves, zesting and juicing the lemon, grating parmesan.
- Additionally, boil pasta according to box instructions, and always reserve about ¼ cup of pasta water if you need to thin the sauce at the end.
- In a large pot or pan, add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil or butter over medium heat.
- Add the zest from the lemon and the sliced garlic and sauté just until the garlic is fragrant. Remove it from the heat if it begins to brown to avoid it burning.
- While the pot is still on the heat, add the limoncello to deglaze the pan, using a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape the bottom of the pan.
- Let it simmer until au sec, or almost dry.
- Add in the creme fraîche and mix together until melted.
- Then add the fresh squeezed lemon juice. Stir until well combined.
- Add the cooked pasta to the pan of lemon sauce, along with the grated parmesan and cold butter.
- While removed from the heat source, but the pan is still hot, stir continuously until the butter is fully emulsified into the sauce.
- Season with salt and pepper and serve hot.
- Garnish with more cheese and fresh parsley or chives.
Notes
- Be sure to use cold butter and add it in OFF the heat, to ensure that the butter emulsifies into the sauce rather than melts.
- If you can't get creme fraîche, I recommend using mascarpone cheese, soft cream cheese, or good quality heavy cream.
- I really don't recommend substituting the limoncello for anything else. Something like wine or even a lemon-flavored spirit will not yield the same balance of citrus and sweetness.
- Easily make this gluten-free by using gluten free pasta! I like Banza and Jovial Foods the best.
Anonymous says
The printed recipe doesn't include a measurement for the creme fraîche.
Emily says
Hi! SO sorry about that – just fixed it! I used an 8 oz container of creme fraiche!
Laura says
Yum!