Real-deal Penne al limone

Submitted by Gatinha21

"Nice fresh lemon taste, quick and easy. This is a favorite recipe that my sister and best friend always ask me to prepare when I come home. It is a big hit in small dinner parties, but could not be easier to prepare."

 

• Ready In: 40mins
• Ingredients: 8
• Serves: 4-6

ingredients

• 1 lb penne pasta
• 1⁄4 cup butter
• 1⁄2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1⁄2 cup light cream
• 1 tablespoon parmigiano-reggiano cheese
• 1 dash pepper
• salt

directions

1. In a large pot put the water to boil for the pasta.
2. In a large saucepan melt the butter until is starts to foam, add the lemon juice and let it reduce a bit, maybe 5 minutes.
3. Set aside.
4. When the pasta is ready, drain and keep aside.
5. Return the lemon sauce to the stove and add all of the cream and let it reduce by a half.
6. Mix the pasta with the cream sauce, add the cheese, salt and pepper to taste.
7. garnish with fresh parsley stems,.

Reviews

[Maven in the Making]

Wonderful flavor! The butter/cream/lemon ingredients add interest and dimension to the pasta. It didn't need to be swimming in sauce - all the flavor was there without all the calories (that would have been there with double or triple the sauce)! DH loved it. I loved that it was a dressed-up dish without a lot of ingredients, just used things I'd usually have on hand. Don't forget that sprinkle of chopped parsley at the end - adds both color and flavor. Thanks.

 

[devin_love]

Waaaay too lemony. Very watery and short of sauce for 1 lb dry pasta. Pointless to add a tablespoon of cheese because the lemon overpowers it. Not good!

 

[KateS]

When I began making this recipe, I thought I had all of the ingredients on hand; however, after realizing I only had one lemon and that my husband had put the last of the cream on his cereal, I quickly had to make a few adjustments. I used only 1/4 cup of lemon juice and substituted 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk mixed with 1/4 cup skim milk for the light cream. I was VERY happy with the resulting sauce. It was sweet and creamy - yet not too heavy. This was so easy to make, it's definitely going to become a part of my recipe collection - and next time, I'll try to keep my husband away from the cream beforehand.

 

[Emily720]

Very dry and way too lemony!

 

[Malriah]

Very refreshing! Simple to make and the directions are easy to follow. My only real problem with this recipe is there is no indication as to when one should add the lemon zest so I kind of winged it. Other than that, it was great.