Creamy Dill Lemon Pasta (Printer View)

Light, velvety pasta featuring fresh dill, lemon zest, and creamy sauce for a vibrant dish.

# What you'll need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz dried fettuccine, linguine, or penne
02 - Salt for pasta water

→ Sauce

03 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
05 - Zest of 1 lemon
06 - ¾ cup plus 1 tbsp heavy cream
07 - 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
08 - 1 tsp Dijon mustard
09 - 1 tsp salt
10 - ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
11 - 1½ oz grated Parmesan cheese
12 - 3 tbsp chopped fresh dill, plus extra for garnish

→ Optional Additions

13 - 1 cup peas, fresh or frozen
14 - 5 oz smoked salmon, flaked (omit for vegetarian option)

# Method:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water and drain the pasta.
02 - In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add minced garlic and lemon zest; sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Stir in heavy cream, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard. Simmer gently for 2 to 3 minutes until slightly thickened.
04 - Add Parmesan cheese, salt, and black pepper. Stir until the cheese melts and the sauce is smooth.
05 - Add drained pasta to the skillet and toss to coat evenly, adding reserved pasta water gradually to achieve a silky consistency.
06 - Stir in chopped dill and peas if using. Toss until combined and gently heated through.
07 - Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately, garnished with extra dill and smoked salmon if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in less time than it takes to set a proper table, yet tastes like a restaurant made it for you.
  • The lemon and dill keep it feeling bright instead of heavy, even though cream is doing all the work.
  • You can make it exactly as written or pivot halfway through—add peas, toss in salmon, throw in asparagus—and it somehow works every time.
02 -
  • Don't drain all your pasta water—that starchy liquid is what transforms a sauce from gluggy to luxurious, so save it and add it gradually.
  • Fresh dill loses its brightness the moment you cook it hard, so stir it in at the very end with the heat already turned down.
  • If your sauce breaks or looks separated, it's usually because the heat was too high; just turn it down and whisk in a splash of cold cream or pasta water to bring it back together.
03 -
  • Reserve your pasta water before you drain—I learned this the hard way by draining first and realizing I needed that starchy liquid to save a sauce that was setting up too thick.
  • Fresh lemon zest changes everything, so invest in a microplane if you don't have one; it makes the difference between a good sauce and one that tastes like someone actually cared.
  • Don't walk away while the cream is simmering; a watched pot doesn't boil, but an unwatched cream sauce can break, and you'll spend five minutes trying to coax it back to life.
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