Brown Butter Lemon Pasta Recipe

Heat a large stockpot of generously salted water until boiling. Add the pasta and cook until 2 minutes shy of al dente.

Add the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Continue cooking until the butter has melted and begins to foam, stirring frequently to ensure that the butter cooks evenly.

Toss in the lemon zest and a few twists of black pepper, then continue cooking the butter, stirring frequently, until it starts to turn golden brown and smells toasty.

Using a heat-safe measuring cup, scoop out 1 cup of the starchy pasta water from the stockpot and immediately pour it into the brown butter mixture.

Let the mixture simmer and reduce for a few minutes until it has thickened slightly, stirring occasionally.

Add in the grated Parmesan and lemon juice, then whisk until combined.

Once the pasta is 2 minutes shy of al dente, use a strainer to transfer the pasta directly to the brown butter sauce.

Toss the pasta with the sauce, stirring gently and constantly, until the pasta is al dente and the sauce is thick and glossy and coats the pasta evenly.

If the sauce seems too dry, just add in an extra ¼ cup at a time of the remaining starchy pasta water as needed. Taste and season with extra salt, if needed.

Serve garnished with an extra sprinkle of Parmesan and cracked black pepper, and enjoy!