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This Lemon Garlic Pasta comes together quickly and is full of flavor without a complicated sauce. Buttery pasta, crunchy breadcrumbs, and plenty of Parmesan cheese make for an awesome meatless meal.
I'm not a fan of over complicating things. I'm mostly a minimalist and rarely struggle with clutter because I quickly do away with anything frivolous or unnecessary. When it comes to witchcraft and spirituality, I prefer to keep things as simple as possible so I'm not creating unnecessary barriers to my growth. The more steps and ingredients a spell has, the less likely I am to actually do it.
When it comes to food, though, I can somtimes become a more is more person. More cheese. More bacon. More glaze. More deliciousness. When I'm following a recipe that only has a few ingredients, I feel myself compelled to scan my herbs and spices to see if there's anything else that I can add just for the fun of it. It's weird.
What makes Lemon Garlic Pasta so awesome?
This Lemon Garlic Pasta is the perfect balance of simple and complex. There are about 10 ingredients, but none of them are complicated. We've got spaghetti tossed in butter, then seasoned with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. But it's the lemon and garlic bread crumbs with fresh parsley that really up the flavor game. And for a final hit of umami, we're stirring in a good amount of Parmesan cheese. It's a beautiful thing.
This is a simple and light pasta dish, not an over the top cheesy monstrosity drowning in sauce. It comes together quickly, so no long simmering. It's absolutely packed with fresh, bright flavors and a variety of textures. On a weeknight after a stressful day, this is going to take you straight to bliss and contentment.
Magical Properties of Parsley
Parsley has energetic cleansing properties and can be added to a bath for this purpose. Create an infusion with a whole bunch of parsley plus a sliced parsley root, then add this to your bath water. This spell is NOT suitable for pregnant people.
This common garnish also has strong protective qualties. Give it the intention of protecting you from harmful spirits or energies whenever you sprinkle it over a dish. You can also wear a sprig of parsley for protection when you travel. (Source: Element Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells by Judika Illes)
For the magical properties of other ingredients in this recipe, check the Kitchen Magick page.
Tips for making Lemon Garlic Pasta
The thing that's going to take the longest is boiling your water for your pasta. Remember to put a lid on the pot so the water boils faster. If you have an electric kettle, let it help get you hurry things along. And don't forget to add a good amount of salt to the water. This is a simple dish, so we want the pasta itself to have great flavor.
While your pasta is boiling, heat some oil and add some lemon zest and garlic to it. I just use my zester to grate the garlic in as well. When it becomes fragrant, add in some fresh bread crumbs. I've been known to just find whatever bread is hanging around my kitchen and crumble it up into the oil. Turn the heat up and let the bread crumbs get crispy in the oil. Once you've got crunchy bread bits, turn the heat off, add some fresh parsley, and set that aside.
When your pasta is drained, return it to the hot pot off the heat, and add your butter and lemon juice. Use tongs to toss the pasta in the melting butter to coat every strand. Then add salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and lots of Parmesan cheese. If your pasta still looks quite dry, you could add more butter or a bit of your starchy pasta water to moisten things up. Finally, add in your lemon garlic bread crumb mixture, and toss that through. Serve with a bit more grated Parmesan cheese and another quick spritz of lemon juice if you like.
FAQ
I'm quite happy to just eat a giant bowl of pasta and nothing else. If you want to add to the meal, a crisp green salad would be lovely, and some crusty garlic bread never hurt anything. If you're not concerned about making it meatless, some grilled chicken could also be lovely. Add some veg with lemony tender stem broccoli.
When I'm looking for something both simple and delicious, I'm definitely going to turn to this Lemon Garlic Pasta. It's gonna be so awesome.
Looking for more awesome pasta recipes? Try some Orzo with Bacon and Peas or this Chicken & Goat Cheese Pasta.
PrintLemon Garlic Pasta
This Lemon Garlic Pasta comes together quickly and is full of flavor without a complicated sauce. Buttery pasta, crunchy breadcrumbs, and plenty of Parmesan cheese make for an awesome meatless meal.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 garlic clove
- ½ cup fresh bread crumbs
- ½ cup chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water and place it over high heat. Put the lid on so it will boil faster. Once you've reached a rapid boil, add a couple fat pinches of salt, then cook your pasta according to the package directions. Before you drain the pasta, use a coffee cup to remove about a half a cup of pasta water in case you need to add moisture to your dish later. Drain the pasta and return it to it's cooking pot.
- While you're waiting for your pasta to do its thing, place a skillet over medium low heat and add the olive oil. While your oil is warming, zest your lemon into the skillet. Next, peel your garlic clove and grate it into the warming oil as well.
- Once that becomes fragrant, stir in the bread crumbs. Cook them gently, stirring occasionally, until they become browned and crisp.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the chopped parsley. Set aside until your pasta is cooked.
- Once you've got your pasta back in the hot pan, add the butter and juice of half a lemon. Toss everything together until all the pasta is coated in the butter.
- Add the red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, and Parmesan cheese and toss again. You may need to add a bit of that reserved pasta water to keep everything moist and bring it all together. Taste it now to see if you want to add more lemon juice or other seasonings.
- Finally, add the bread crumb mixture and toss to combine.
Keywords: Pasta, Garlic, Bread Crumbs
Recipe slightly adapted from Nigellissima by Nigella Lawson.
Tara says
Tomato based sauces don't always agree with me, so this was the perfect alternative. Flavorful and simple. It is definitely going into my regular dinner rotation.
★★★★★