A lusciously creamy and tart pasta recipe capturing the flavours of the Amalfi Coast

There is nothing quite like a quick and easy pasta dish made with few fresh ingredients and ready in almost no time at all.

Especially this time of the year when the weather is slowly warming up, I don’t want to spend time in the kitchen to prepare dinner when I could instead enjoy the final rays of sun on the patio. Which means, I will make the best use of store-bought pasta, elevating it with a delicious freshly made sauce that reminds me of some place Italy.

Lemons are an important part of the Italian cuisine. Adding a fresh, tangy taste, they are used for all sorts of food, from hearty to sweet.

If you have never tried pasta with lemon sauce, make this quick recipe using penne rigate pasta. You will love it.

Contrary to all those recipes making a point not using heavy cream, it does indeed use cream. Which works fantastic with the particular form of the penne, the short tube-like shaped pasta cut diagonally on both ends. Thanks to its shape, the pasta will scoop up the lemon sauce perfectly.

What wine to pair with zesty lemon pasta

Wondering what wine will pair best with a tangy, creamy lemon pasta?

Lemon pasta calls for a wine that will stand up to the tartness of the food as the lemon will make the wine taste softer and sweeter.

Thus, look for a crisp white with high acidity such as Albarino, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Valpolicella or a light Pinot Grigio.

If you love red wines, a light Pinot Noir would also go well with the tart lemon flavour.

And finally, a really good match with the zesty lemon sauce would be a sparkling wine. My personal choice would be a sparkling wine from Franciacorta.

Recipe: Penne al Limone (pasta with lemon sauce)

Serves 4

500 g penne
juice and zest of 1 lemon
3 stalks rosemary, finely chopped
250 ml cooking cream
50 g parmesan, freshly grated
salt and pepper

Cook penne in boiling salted water until ready (about 11 minutes).

In a large skillet, bring the heavy cream to a light boil then reduce the heat. Add two-thirds of the rosemary, lemon juice and zest and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Stir in the parmesan. Drain the penne then add to the lemon cream and toss until the pasta is fully covered with the cream. Season with salt and pepper then sprinkle with the remaining rosemary and some more grated parmesan.