Lemon and Garlic Butter Linguine
Inspired by techniques from NYT Cooking.
Linguine in a glossy lemon, garlic and butter sauce brought together with starchy pasta water, ready in 20 minutes.
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Method
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Equipment
- fine grater
- large pot (at least 5 litres)
- colander or tongs
- heatproof mug for pasta water
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 652 kcal |
| Protein | 17.9 g |
| Carbohydrate | 86.3 g |
| of which sugars | 3.5 g |
| of which free sugars | 0.3 g |
| Fat | 26 g |
| of which saturates | 15.7 g |
| Fibre | 4 g |
| Salt | 1.98 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
2.7 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
Metric · 4 servings
Pasta
- 450 g dried linguine
Pasta water
- 24 g fine salt for 3 litres of pasta water (0.8%) about 4 tsp; most of it goes down the drain
Sauce
- 110 g unsalted butter
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 large unwaxed lemon
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
To serve
- 30 g Parmesan, finely grated
- 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1
Cook the pasta. Boil the linguine in 3 litres salted water until al dente. Save about 500 ml of the water and drain.
- 2
Garlic butter. Dry the pot, set it over low heat and add the butter. As it melts, grate the garlic straight in and stir 1-2 min until fragrant. Grate in the lemon zest and add the pepper.
- 3
Emulsify. When the pepper sizzles, add the pasta and about 240 ml of the water. Raise the heat to medium-high and toss hard. Keep adding a few spoonfuls of water as it bubbles away and toss for 1-2 min, until the butter and starch have formed a thick, glossy coating.
- 4
Finish. Off the heat, squeeze in the lemon juice and toss again. Adding the acid last keeps it bright and stops the sauce splitting. Serve with Parmesan and parsley.
Storage
Cool and refrigerate in an airtight container within 2 hours for up to 2 days. Reheat in a pan with a splash of water until piping hot (74 °C).
