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–+ servings
Close up plate of spaghetti topped with seasoned breadcrumbs

Lemon Garlic Butter Pasta

This impressive-looking 20-min lemon garlic butter pasta is the perfect easy pasta to serve with other dishes, especially for entertaining. The crispy, delicious herbed breadcrumbs on the top add an extra layer of flavour and texture to the overall pasta.
5 from 3 votes
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Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 546kcal

Ingredients

Lemon garlic butter spaghetti

  • 300 g (11 oz) spaghetti or other pasta shapes
  • 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • ½ tablespoon lemon juice ~⅓ of the juice of a lemon
  • zest of ⅔ of lemon
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil best use extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoon parmesan cheese grated, plus extra to serve (note 1)

Crispy herbed topping

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 cup panko Japanese breadcrumbs (note 2)
  • 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese grated (note 1)
  • zest of ⅓ of lemon
  • salt & black pepper
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley very finely chopped

Instructions

  • In a large pot of generously salted water, cook pasta according to packet instructions to al dente.

Make crispy herbed topping

  • Whilst the pasta is boiling away, make the crispy topping. Melt butter with garlic in a small frying pan over medium-low heat.
  • Once the garlic is lightly golden, add panko, mix through then add lemon zest. Toss the pan every 10 seconds or so until the breadcrumbs are nice and golden. About 3-4 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese. Toss well then turn the heat off and mix in parsley. Set aside.

Make lemon garlic butter pasta

  • By now, the pasta should be almost al dente. In a large frying pan, fry the garlic with 2 tablespoon of butter over medium-low heat. Once lightly golden, add lemon juice, cooked pasta, and 1 cup of pasta cooking water. Mix well.
  • Season pasta with salt, pepper, remaining lemon zest, remaining butter, olive oil and parmesan cheese. Mix well.
  • To serve, top with crispy herbed breadcrumbs and extra parmesan cheese.

Notes

1. Grate parmesan cheese at home - best buy a block and grate at home. It melts better, tastes better and is more economical! Plus, no grainy texture! Grating cheese yourself is particularly important when making cheesy pasta dishes like lasagna, one-pot cheesy sausage pasta bake or creamy chicken orzo!
2. Panko - is a Japanese-style breadcrumb. Compared to Western breadcrumbs, panko is lighter, crispier and slightly larger in size. Panko only uses white parts of bread (no crust) so it's much lighter in colour too. I always prefer using panko compared to the conventional breadcrumbs from the supermarket as it produces the perfect crispy results! It works amazingly well as a coating for crumbed chicken like my panko chicken schnitzel or a crispy topping for a creamy tuna pasta bake.
Storage. Store the pasta separately from the herbed breadcrumbs. This way the breadcrumbs will stay crispy for the next few days. Store both the pasta and the breadcrumbs in air-tight containers and they'll last for 3 to 5 days in the fridge.
Tried this recipe?Mention @Casuallypeckish or tag #casuallypeckish!

Nutrition

Calories: 546kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Potassium: 249mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Calcium: 105mg | Iron: 2mg