Lemon Herb Pasta – Organized Mom Collective

Total Time: 25 minutes | Prep: 5 minutes | Cook: 20 minutes

This bright and simple lemon herb pasta saves dinnertime when you’ve hit decision fatigue but still want something that feels fresh and homemade.

Ingredients:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente.
While pasta cooks, melt butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Don’t let it brown or it will taste bitter.
Turn heat to low and add lemon zest and juice to the pan.
Before draining pasta, reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water – this is your secret weapon for a silky sauce!
Drain pasta and add directly to the skillet with the lemon-garlic mixture.
Add 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water, parmesan cheese, and toss well until the pasta is evenly coated. Add more pasta water if needed to create a light sauce.
Stir in fresh herbs and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve immediately with extra parmesan on top.

Protein boost: Add a can of drained white beans, rotisserie chicken chunks, or cooked shrimp

Veggie boost: Toss in halved cherry tomatoes, frozen peas (add in the last minute of pasta cooking), or baby spinach
Make it dairy-free: Use all olive oil instead of butter and skip the parmesan (or use nutritional yeast)
Pantry version: No fresh herbs? Use 1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs instead
Picky eater hack: Serve the plain buttered pasta separately and let kids add toppings themselves