Lemon Mascarpone Pasta

Let’s make: Lemon mascarpone pasta! I LOVE lemon zest (if you can’t tell already, haha!) so this is a major ode to that. This pasta is so EASY, creamy, and so so delicious.

This pasta dish comes together so quickly, and I love that I will mostly have everything on hand in my fridge and pantry at all times, the flavors are amazing. As I’m typing this, I am dreaming of making this for dinner later, like I’m making this again stat.

You can add any proteins like chicken or shrimp in this recipe, or any veggies to add to this!

Ingredients You Need

spaghetti (or pasta of your choice!)
fresh lemon juice
zest of those same lemon
mascarpone cheese (cream cheese can work too!)
pasta water (liquid gold, hello!)
butter
freshly grated parmesan cheese
black pepper
kosher salt

Steps To Make This Recipe

Step 1

Grate parmesan and lemon zest and set aside.

Step 2

In the meantime, boil a pot of water for your pasta. When boiling, add kosher salt and pasta, and cook until al dente, according to the package instructions on your pasta.

Step 3

While your pasta is boiling, heat a skillet or pan with olive oil. Bloom your pepper and add in your butter to melt. Next, on low, you’re going to add in your cheese mixture and melt throughout, adding pasta water as needed to create your sauce. Stir to combine.

Step 4

Toss in your al dente pasta, and finish cooking with the sauce and adjusting with pasta water and more parmesan of your choice. Finish with mascarpone and toss until everything is creamy and melted together. Turn off the heat and finish off with fresh lemon juice.

Step 5

Serve with pepper, more parmesan, lemon zest and juice.

Tips, Tricks and Substitutions

What happens if my pasta is too watery?

Two things you can do here! 1) it will most likely dry up as you keep mixing and cooking, so be patient. However 2) if it’s extremely watery, add more parmesan.

What happens if my pasta is too thick and not as glossy as I’d like?

If your pasta is getting all stuck together, and is not glossy, adjust with more pasta water. ALWAYS save extra pasta water! Do not throw that baby away, it is liquid gold.

What can I use if I don’t have mascarpone?

Feel free to sub for heavy cream!

Some ideas & inspiration to serve with this dish:

Looking for more pasta ideas?

If you do make this Lemon Mascarpone Pasta recipe (first of all, thank you!!), be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram and through social media so I can be sure to see what you’re making! If you’d like to stay in touch and get the latest to your inbox, sign up for our Newsletter here as well!

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