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This citrus cream pasta recipe is an easy, refreshing dinner that takes just 15 minutes! It’s a great dish for busy weeknights.
This recipe serves six people and costs about $14.30 to make. That’s just $2.40 per serving.
Citrus Cream Pasta
There’s something about citrus that brightens and enhances the flavor of most dishes, and this citrus cream pasta is no exception. This citrus cream sauce combines the richness of cream with the refreshing tanginess of citrus fruits, resulting in a unique and vibrant flavor profile.
Combining zest from navel oranges and lemons adds a citrusy brightness that cuts through the dish’s creaminess, providing a delightful balance.
Citrus cream pasta is filling as a main dish or a side. However, it pairs well with lots of other food, too! For example, things like French carrot salad, air fryer asparagus, air fryer green beans, or even scalloped potatoes will all feed a hungry family.
Why You’ll Love Citrus Cream Pasta
- Simple and Quick To Make: This is a great weeknight dish that everyone will love, and it’s done in 15 minutes. If your busy family needs something new and fresh for dinner, this is your meal.
- Burst of Fresh Flavors: The combination of navel oranges, lemons, and fresh herbs like mint and basil adds a vibrant and refreshing burst of flavors to the dish.
- Creamy and Indulgent Texture: Adding heavy cream creates a luxurious and velvety sauce that coats the linguine, giving the dish a rich and indulgent texture.
- Versatile and customizable: You can adjust the amount of citrus zest and herbs according to your taste, adding more or less to achieve your desired tanginess or freshness. You can also add protein such as grilled chicken, shrimp, or vegetables to make it a complete and balanced meal.
Citrus Cream Sauce With Pasta Ingredients and Estimated Cost:
Per Serving Cost: $2.40
Recipe Cost: $14.30
- 1 lb linguine: $1.28
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil: $0.12
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced: $1.92
- 2 cups heavy cream: $5.00
- 2 navel oranges, zested: $1.50
- 2 lemons, zested: $1.16
- 1 teaspoon salt: $0.02
- ¼ cup fresh mint, chopped: $0.69
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped: $0.56
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese: $2.05
NOTE: The recipe prices are calculated by using grocery store websites. The recipe cost is calculated by the amounts needed for the recipe. The actual cost will vary depending on what ingredients you already have. I updated the pricing for this recipe in June 2023.
How To Make Creamy Lemon Pasta
Though this dish sounds like a high-end meal you’d have at a once-a-year fancy restaurant (at least, in my opinion!), it’s easy and quick to make.
To make this creamy lemon pasta:
- Cook linguine as per package instructions until al dente.
- While the pasta cooks, add olive oil and garlic to a large 12-inch pan and cook over medium heat until fragrant (about 1-2 minutes).
- Add cream and citrus zest.
- Reduce the heat to low and bring the mixture to a VERY LOW simmer.
- Simmer the mixture for 5 minutes.
- Add salt and herbs and stir to combine.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the cheese until it’s melted.
- Toss this sauce with the pasta and serve immediately!
Citrus Cream Pasta Variations and Substitutions
- Protein Additions: Grilled chicken, cooked shrimp, or pan-seared salmon can be great additions. Simply cook the protein separately and add it to the pasta when combining the sauce and linguine.
- Vegetable Additions: For a vegetarian version, you can add roasted vegetables like cherry tomatoes, zucchini, or bell peppers. Toss them with olive oil, salt, and pepper, then roast until tender. Mix the roasted vegetables into the pasta along with the sauce.
- Citrus Variations: While the recipe calls for navel oranges and lemons, you can experiment with different citrus fruits. Try using grapefruit or blood oranges for a slightly different flavor profile. Adjust the amount of zest according to your preference and the intensity of the fruit’s flavor.
- Herb Substitutions: If you don’t have fresh mint or basil, you can use other herbs like parsley, cilantro, chives, or tarragon.
- Pasta Alternatives: While linguine works well in this recipe, you can switch to other pasta shapes, such as fettuccine, spaghetti, or penne, depending on your preference or what you have available in your pantry.
- Lighter Option: If you prefer a lighter version, you can substitute part or all of the heavy cream with half-and-half or whole milk. Remember that this will affect the richness and creaminess of the sauce.
Gluten-Free Option: If you require a gluten-free alternative, substitute the linguine with gluten-free pasta made from rice, corn, or other gluten-free grains.
Creamy Lemon Pasta: Storage & Serving Tips
SERVE: As stated above, serve the pasta immediately. It’ll absorb the sauce quickly if you don’t, and we don’t want that!
STORE: You can keep creamy lemon pasta in the fridge for about four days.
FREEZE: Use a freezer-safe container; this pasta should remain fresh for three months.
REHEAT: Creamy lemon pasta reheats well in the microwave and stove. Just thaw it in the fridge first overnight.
Creamy Lemon Pasta Recipe FAQs
How long does it take to make this creamy lemon pasta?
This is a major time-saver of a meal, as I said. You only need 5 minutes of prep time and 10 minutes of cooking time for the ingredients.
How many servings does this recipe produce?
This should make enough for about six people, depending on portion sizes. It’ll feed even more if you add a protein, like my lemon chicken recipe or shrimp.
My cream sauce is grainy. Did I do something wrong?
Ensure your sauce never comes to a boil! You just want to warm it up. If it goes beyond a simmer, it’ll break the cream, making the sauce grainy.
What other herbs pair well with this recipe (if any)?
This dish is very versatile when it comes to the herbs. Use whatever herbs you like or have on hand. My favorite combination is basil and mint for this citrus cream pasta since they keep things vibrant and fresh.
Can you use other kinds of pasta?
Absolutely. Penne or rigatoni are both amazing with this, too.
Can I use something with a lower fat content rather than the heavy cream?
I wouldn’t recommend it, as the lemon will generally curdle things like half-and-half.
More pasta recipes:
- Pumpkin Sausage Pasta
- Tomato Basil Pasta
- Sausage and Peppers Pasta
- Greek Pasta
- Lobster Alfredo
5 from 12 votes
Citrus Cream Pasta
Author Jillian – a Food, Folks and Fun original!
Recipe Cost $ $14.30
Serving Cost $ $2.40
Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes minutes
Total Time 15 minutes minutes
6 people
This citrus cream pasta recipe is an easy, refreshing dinner that takes just 15 minutes! It’s a great dish for busy weeknights.
Equipment
Measuring spoons
Measuring cups
large cooking pot
large 12 in pan
mixing spoon
Ingredients
- 1 lb linguine
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 3 large garlic cloves minced
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 navel oranges zested
- 2 lemons zested
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup fresh mint chopped
- ¼ cup fresh basil chopped
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
MAKE PASTA:
Cook linguine as per package instructions until al dente.
MAKE SAUCE:
While pasta cooks, add olive oil and garlic to large 12-inch pan and cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
Add cream and citrus zest, reduce heat to low and bring the mixture to a VERY LOW simmer.
Simmer the mixture for 5 minutes.
Add salt and herbs, stir to combine.
Turn off heat and stir in cheese until melted.
TO FINISH:
Toss the sauce with pasta and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Serving: 1.33cup | Calories: 661kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Cholesterol: 123mg | Sodium: 679mg | Potassium: 315mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1445IU | Vitamin C: 20.8mg | Calcium: 271mg | Iron: 1.5mg
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