Angel Hair Pasta with Lemon Sauce

Our Angel Hair Pasta with Lemon Sauce cooks up in less than 15 minutes. This simple lemon sauce requires no cooking, and only warming helps make dinner come together in a snap!  Angel hair pasta is tossed with a warm lemon sauce. Pair it with chicken or shrimp, or alone as it is!

Serve it with our restaurant-style Mom’s Best Chicken Piccata or Pan-Seared Mahi Mahi.

Angel Hair pasta with lemon slices on a silver patter.

Angel Hair Pasta with Lemon Sauce

You absolutely must try this Angel Hair Pasta with Lemon Sauce! It is incredibly easy and delicious. Trust me, you’ll love it!

This lemon sauce is bright, fresh-tasting, and easy to make. Plus, it is healthy! A quick and easy pasta dish you can make in less than 15 minutes and it gives you that refreshing essence in flavor every time.

We love lemons all year long, and we try to incorporate them into our recipes as much as possible. Besides the meals we cook with fresh lemons, we like to incorporate them with some desserts as well. Try our Raspberry Lemon Crumble Bars, and our Italian Lemon Cookies with Lemon Glaze. And, for more easy pasta dishes, don’t miss our One-Pot Pasta Recipe, and Asian-Style Capellini Pasta with Vegetables.

Angel Hair Pasta with Lemon Sauce on a silver platter with fresh basil on the side.

Health benefits of adding lemons..

  • A great source of vitamin C, fiber, and antioxidants.
  • Plus, it contains essential minerals like potassium, calcium, and magnesium.
  • Also, lemons help improve your skin health, lower your risk of kidney stones, enhance iron absorption, bolster your immune system, and reduce blood pressure.
A silver platter with angel hair pasta served on it.
 

Ingredients Needed… (*full recipe card below!)

For Angel Hair Pasta with Lemon Sauce, you will need the following ingredients:

  • 1 pound Angel Hair or Capellini pasta
  • 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp. lemon zest
  • 1 large lemon juiced
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • Optional: 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
  • Optional: 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • fresh cracked pepper to taste
  • few stems of fresh basil, for garnish

Directions to Make it..

1.  In a large pot of boiling water, add 2 teaspoons of salt.  Add in angel hair pasta and cook until “al dente,” about 3 minutes or less.  Reserve 1/4 cup of salted water, and set aside.  Drain

2.  Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet or sauté pan.  Add olive oil,  zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.  Heat gently for 1 minute.  Toss with pasta (and if you need more liquid, add in the reserved 1/4 cup of salted water).

3.  Add fresh basil and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and toss until angel hair pasta is evenly coated. Pasta tends to absorb the sauce quickly, so if you feel the need to add some extra virgin olive oil, please do so. Drizzle some in to keep the pasta extra moist.

4.  Serve in warm bowls and garnish with some fresh basil, lemon zest, and fresh cracked pepper on top.  Serve with extra grated Parmigiano cheese at the table. Serves 4 to 6

Trick to Get it Perfect…

  • For this pasta, we highly recommend that you “under-cook” the angel hair pasta slightly, to a very al-dente.  Because the pasta is so thin, it continues to cook while it is draining and will continue to internally. If it is overcooked, you will end up with it being too starchy and mushy.
  • Also, it’s optional if you want to add in or leave out the grated Parmigiano cheese.  Just serve the grated cheese on the table for everyone to help themselves.  Not everyone is a fan of cheese all the time.
  • Keep in mind, that the angel hair pasta will absorb the lemon sauce quickly, so it’s best to serve it immediately.

 

Storing Leftovers…

  • Best to store leftovers in an airtight container, and kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
  • You can freeze leftovers and store it for up to 1 month.

Options to serve this pasta dish with…

Enjoy our Angel Hair Pasta with Lemon Sauce with any of these dishes to choose from:

Thin pasta on a silver platter. by 2sistersrecipes.com

Questions & Answers…

1. Can we make additional lemon sauce? This recipe is very easy to adapt, simply because you can add more or less lemon juice, zest, and extra virgin olive oil to suit your taste.

2. Want it spicy? You may even add some crushed red pepper flakes (about 1/8 tsp.) to give it some heat.

3. May we use bottled lemon juice instead of real lemons? We don’t recommend it. And for one reason only, you want the “best and freshest tasting” sauce for this pasta dish. Also, bottled lemon juice contains preservatives, and leaves a bitter aftertaste.

4. Can we use any brand of pasta? Any “thin pasta” works great with this recipe. Also, try this recipe with gluten-free Angel Hair or  Capellini Pasta.

QUICK NOTE: Keep in mind, that nothing in this recipe has to be the exact amount to make it perfect, just like some of the photos I make for Pinterest – they’re not perfect!

With the picky eaters in my family, it was a nice surprise to see how they all loved my pasta with lemon sauce!

ENJOY!!

Try These Recipes Next! 

Your comments help us!  If you make this delicious angel hair pasta with lemon sauce recipe, let us know!  Leave a comment with a star rating below in our recipe card!  Your insights and experiences will not only help our readers but help us too!

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HAPPY COOKING!  🙂

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Angel Hair Pasta with Lemon Sauce

Angel Hair Pasta with Lemon Sauce on a silver platter with fresh basil on the side.

Angel Hair Pasta with Lemon Sauce cooks up very quickly! With this simple lemon sauce that requires only warming, no cooking, helps make this pasta dish come together in a snap!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Angel Hair or Capellini pasta
  • 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp. lemon zest
  • 1 large lemon juice (about 3 Tbsp.)
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • Optional: 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
  • Optional: 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • fresh cracked pepper to taste
  • few sprigs of fresh basil for garnish

Instructions

  1. In a large pot of boiling water, add 2 teaspoons of salt. Add in angel hair pasta and cook until "al dente," about 3 minutes or less. Reserve about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of salted water, and set aside. Drain
  2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large saute' pan. Add olive oil, zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Heat gently for 1 minute. Toss with pasta (and if you need more liquid, add in the reserved 1/4 cup of salted water).
  3. Add fresh basil and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and toss until angel hair pasta is evenly coated. If you need to add some extra virgin olive oil, please do so. Drizzle some in to keep the pasta extra moist.
  4. Serve immediately in warm bowls and garnish with some fresh basil, lemon zest, and fresh cracked pepper on top. Serve with extra grated Parmigiano cheese at the table.
  5. Serves 4 to 6

Notes

It's best to only substitute angel hair pasta with other thin noodles. Regular spaghetti will take longer to cook and will require additional lemon sauce.

Additional Additions:

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4 to 6 servings

Serving Size:

1 serving

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 319Total Fat: 1gCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 7.1g

Did you make this recipe?

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12 Comments

  1. I can’t wait to try this! I plan on sauteing some large shrimp and pea pods, or asparagus to toss in.

    1. Aw, that sounds AMAZING, Sharon! .. and welcome to our blog, it’s so nice to meet you! Angel hair pasta with lemon sauce is our favorite and we combine it with a lot of our seafood dishes. We’re so glad we inspire you to try our recipe and we hope you will continue to try more! Have a great weekend! 🙂

  2. This sounds so delicious and I love anything with citrus flavouring! Perfect for the hot summer months!

  3. I love simple an easy weeknight pasta dishes like this one. Lemon sauces pair so well with pasta and just keeps it light and fresh. I could totally see adding some cherry tomatoes, asparagus or broccoli rabe to this pasta to make it a one-bowl meal. xoxo, Jackie

    1. Oh Jackie you are so on it! Adding some asparagus, cherry tomatoes and even broccoli rabe would be terrific with this lemon sauce. Great ideas!! Even though my family loves it plain, I would love it with the added greens..for sure!! Have a great day!

  4. Pasta with lemon sauce is one of my favorite things! yours looks so light and delicious :)Mary x