This easy 15 minute garlic lemon pantry pasta really is SO easy.
A few months ago, I shared my first pantry pasta recipe, and to date, it’s been the most popular recipe on my blog.
It’s simple, flavorful, delicious, and family friendly. So yeah, it makes sense that you guys were fans!
About the Recipe
A few days ago, I couldn’t decide what to make for dinner. Pantry pasta popped into my head, but as I was grabbing pasta from my pantry, I looked at a bunch of lemons that needed to be used.
And BAM! Lemon Pantry Pasta was born.
This recipe has a twist to the original recipe. Besides the addition of lemon juice, I added more red pepper flakes to give this a good kick. If you like a spicier pasta, add more. If you don’t like spice, add less, or omit from the recipe.
I was really thrilled with how this pasta turned out.
The lemon adds a great touch to the breadcrumbs and tastes awesome with the pasta. I love changing things up, and this was really what I needed to get my recipe wheel churning this week.
Recipe Notes
I used bucatini for this recipe, but you can really use any pasta you like or have on hand. It’ll taste great no matter what you use – I promise!
Another note for this recipe – you’ll want to use good olive oil. This should always be a principal in your kitchen, but when you’re using olive oil for flavor, you want it to be your best.
You’ll need regular olive oil and extra virign olive oil. The regular olive oil will be used for sautéing the garlic, and the extra virgin olive oil will be for topping your pasta after it’s cooked.
Fun fact: extra virgin olive oil is meant to be consumed raw – aka it’s not meant to be heated! This is because it has a much lower smoke temperature that regular olive oil. If you get it too hot, it can taste rancid and make your dish taste bad, and nobody wants that!
One other tip – if you have a zester, some lemon zest would be delicious on top! If you don’t have one, this one is from a good, inexpensive brand on Amazon.
I’m thinking this is a perfect recipe for a quick weeknight dinner, especially now that we’re in back to school season!
Or, this would be great on a slow Friday evening, with a glass of Chardonnay or an Aperol Spritz in hand.
No matter how you enjoy this – it’ll be delicious. Make sure you rate and comment on this recipe below, and share to Pinterest or Facebook! Mangia!
Easy 15 Minute Garlic Lemon Pantry Pasta Ingredients
- 1/2 lb pasta (I used bucatini)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp breadcrumbs
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- parmesan cheese, for serving
- lemon wedges, for serving
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions.
Heat olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan. Sauté until garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Then, add lemon juice to the pan and cook for 1 minute.
Remove the pan from heat and add breadcrumbs, toasting them until golden brown. Watch closely to avoid burning.
Add salt and pepper to breadcrumb mixture.
When the pasta is done, drain and transfer to a large serving bowl. Toss with extra virgin olive oil.
Add breadcrumb mixture to the pasta and mix well. If your pasta looks dry, add a little more extra virgin olive oil.
Serve with parmesan cheese and lemon wedges.
Easy 15 Minute Garlic Lemon Pantry Pasta
Notes
- I used bucatini, but you can use any kind of pasta you want.
- If you like spicier dishes, feel free to add more red pepper flakes! If you don’t like spice, reduce amount of red pepper flakes or omit entirely.
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb pasta (I used bucatini)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp breadcrumbs
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- parmesan cheese, for serving
- lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions.
- Heat olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan. Sauté until garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Then, add lemon juice to the pan and cook for 1 minute.
- Remove the pan from heat and add breadcrumbs, toasting them until golden brown. Watch closely to avoid burning.
- Add salt and pepper to breadcrumb mixture.
- When the pasta is done, drain and transfer to a large serving bowl. Toss with extra virgin olive oil.
- Add breadcrumb mixture to the pasta and mix well. If your pasta looks dry, add a little more extra virgin olive oil.
- Serve with parmesan cheese and lemon wedges.
Nutrition Facts
Easy 15 Minute Garlic Lemon Pantry Pasta
Serves: 4 servings
| Amount Per Serving: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 296.47 kcal | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 8.18 g | 12.6% | |
| Saturated Fat 1.35 g | 6.8% | |
| Trans Fat 0.0 g | ||
| Cholesterol 0.85 mg | 0.3% | |
| Sodium 200.63 mg | 8.4% | |
| Total Carbohydrate 47.12 g | 15.7% | |
| Dietary Fiber 2.57 g | 10.3% | |
| Sugars 2.24 g | ||
| Protein 8.61 g | ||
| Vitamin A 0.6 % | Vitamin C 10.16 % | |
| Calcium 4.12 % | Iron 6.16 % | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Tasting With Tina
First, lemme say how much I envy your photos – I mean, they’re fantastic. BUT…onto the PASTA! I did a homemade ‘burst’ tomato pasta last night which was good, but given how into pasta I am at the present time, I really wish I’d seen THIS last night! Honestly, so good…….
Thank you so much!! I really appreciate it. The bust tomato pasta sounds amazing! This recipe is sooo easy – perfect for those first few chilly nights when you don’t feel like making a super involved recipe!
Easy meals like this are the best – garlic and lemon works so well together!
I totally agree! Easy meals are the best.
This pasta is so flavorful! Yum
I’m glad you liked it!
This looks so so good. My husband will love this dish.
It’s so good! One of my favorite pantry meals.