Tagliolini are a type of long Italian pasta similar to spaghetti, though thinner and, unlike spaghetti, they are typically made by incorporating egg into the semolina and water dough, which gives them a more porous texture. Because this pasta is so fine, it cooks in very little time—no more than 4 minutes if using dried pasta and just 1 minute for fresh pasta—and is usually used for dishes with light sauces or soft creams, as it couldn't support a heavy, chunky sauce. In this recipe, we've chosen to prepare them with a butter and lemon sauce that pairs wonderfully, the perfect option when we want to make a quick, uncomplicated, but very tasty pasta dish.
The lemon sauce we're going to make to accompany the tagliolini is very flavorful without adding any cream, as we'll only use 1 lemon with its zest finely grated, Parmesan cheese, and we'll use some pasta cooking water to get a more complete texture thanks to the starch from the pasta. The result is a creamy pasta with a strong lemon flavor, softened by the butter and cheese. We've flavored the sauce with a little thyme, but this is completely optional; you can omit it or choose to accompany this delicious pasta with a little parsley.
Recipe Information
- Prep time: 5 minutes
- Cooking time: 5 minutes
- Total time: 10 minutes
- Servings: 1
- Category: main course
- Cuisine type: Italian
- Calories per serving (kcal): 636
Ingredients for Tagliolini al Limone
- 100 g tagliolini
- Salt
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- The juice and zest of 1 lemon
- 30 g of Parmesan cheese
- A few thyme leaves
How to Make Tagliolini al Limone
We begin by cooking 100 g of tagliolini in a pot with plenty of salted water, following the manufacturer's instructions. Once the cooking time is up, we drain the pasta and set it aside along with a little of the pasta cooking water.
Meanwhile, we heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan and add the juice and zest of 1 lemon.
We add the drained tagliolini to the pan along with a little of the pasta cooking water and mix well with the butter and lemon so they are well coated. Next, we remove the pan from the heat and add 30 g of grated Parmesan cheese and a few thyme leaves, and stir vigorously. With the residual heat and the pasta water, the cheese will melt, creating a very rich and creamy sauce. This is an Italian technique known as mantecatura.
We season with salt to taste and serve immediately.
Easy Preparation Summary
- Cook the tagliolini.
- Heat the butter with the lemon zest and juice in a pan.
- Mix the tagliolini with the lemon sauce and a little pasta water, add the Parmesan cheese off the heat, and stir vigorously.
- Serve the freshly made tagliolini al limone.
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Whenever I want something rich and indulgent, I usually go for this La Viña Molten Cheesecake recipe, this elegant Original French Crème Brûlée recipe, or a decadent Chocolate Mousse Cake recipe. And when I’m craving something fruity and comforting, I always come back to this classic French Tarte Tatin recipe.
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Over the years of testing and refining recipes in my own kitchen, I’ve learned that the best dishes combine simplicity, reliable techniques, and bold flavor.
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