I don’t make a lot of pasta dishes, but this is definitely going to be one I come back to time and again.  The lemon in this dish brightens all the flavors and keeps it light and refreshing.  Cream and parmesan make this alfredo creamy and rich.  I love dill, and the dill in this pairs wonderfully with the lemon.  If you don’t have fresh dill handy you can probably make do with dried.

This dish comes together quickly, so make sure you have everything ready before you begin.  Make sure you use a good quality parmesan and grate it yourself, there’s definitely a difference in the quality.  A microplane makes quick work of the grating and can be used to zest the lemon as well.

Lemony Pasta Alfredo

Serves 6-8

Adapted from The Kitchn

• 2 lemons, zested
• 4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 lb dried linguine or fettuccini
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Salt with about 1 Tbsp of salt and add the pasta when boiling.  Cook pasta for about 8 minutes, or as instructed on the package.  Reserve about 1 cup of pasta water.

Zest the lemons and then cut one into quarters.  Heat the butter in a large skillet and then sear the lemon wedges on each side.  Remove the lemon and add the cream to the hot pain, bring cream to a simmer and add half of the parmesan, season with salt and pepper.  When the seared lemon quarters are cool enough to touch, squeeze the juice into the cream mixture.  When the pasta is done, toss the pasta in the cream mixture.  Add pasta water as needed to reach desired consistency.  Toss in the remaining parmesan, the lemon zest, and the chopped dill.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve immediately.