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The simplest 20 Minute Lemon Butter Pasta with Ricotta and Spicy Breadcrumbs…for laid back summer nights. This pasta is buttery, garlicky, and tossed with caramelized lemon and fresh basil. Serve over creamy whipped ricotta and finish off with spicy breadcrumbs for a delicious crunch. Perfect easy summer dinner, any night of the week. Everyone in the house will enjoy this dish, veggies and all! Added bonus? This pasta uses just one skillet and is a great way to use up that summertime garden basil and zucchini.
I love a good Monday night salad in the summer (assuming it looks something like this chopped salad or my summery Ceasar). But I also love a bowl of Monday night pasta more than you’ll know. Starting the week with a dinner that’s easy and something you can really look forward to is key. Especially in the summer.
When the weather finally turns nice here I want to spend a little less time in the kitchen (to a point…it’s my job, so I’m in the kitchen more than most). And a bit more time outside enjoying the summer season. Summer happens so very quickly here. By late August our trees have already begun to change colors and at night the temperatures are below 32.
It’s a quick season, so I really try to enjoy it while it’s here. Walks around the neighborhood when the sun is slowly setting over the mountains are my favorite this time of year. So I try to do as many of them as possible.
Which brings me to this pasta and the inspiration.
The Inspiration…
Two things inspired this easy, but delicious lemon butter pasta.
The idea came after a Saturday night walk. I really just wanted to make something for dinner that would be quick and create as little mess as possible, since for once the kitchen was actually clean.
For some inspiration, I took walk over to the garden (aka greenhouse, but I love using the word garden so much more…so sticking with garden). I pulled a whole bunch of fresh basil and thyme…love their fragrances.
Growing up, my mom and I loved a simple pasta tossed with basil and butter on summer nights, so I drew all my inspiration from there. But I added caramelized lemon…and a few other things to make it that much more delicious.
Of course. Because that’s just me, and that’s what I do.
Here are the details…
As you can imagine, this comes together quick. Just fifteen to twenty minutes is all you need.
Start with the breadcrumbs. Toast them in a skillet with salty capers and crushed red peppers flakes for a little spiciness. Then finish with sea salt. So simple…I love the added crunch and flavor from the capers.
Tip? Make your own fresh breadcrumbs with a loaf of day-old ciabatta bread. Bonus points to you if it’s a loaf of garlic ciabatta. Pulse the torn pieces of bread in a food processor or simply tear the bread into smaller pieces. It’s so easy to do and really adds a lot of flavor to any recipe calling for bread crumbs.
Once the crumbs are out of the skillet, start boiling the pasta. Using angel hair pasta is kind of key to this recipe. It’s one of the quicker cooking types of pasta. It’s also what my mom and I would always request when my dad would make us our “basil butter pasta”.
While the pasta cooks, caramelize slices of lemon in butter. Then chop the lemon slices and toss with lots and lots of fresh basil.
Next, cook the zucchini in the remaining butter with garlic and thyme. Remove from the heat, add the angel hair pasta and the lemon basil mix and toss.
Spread some ricotta cheese into your bowl, add the butter pasta and finish with those breadcrumbs.
Done. Dinner in fifteen that’s colorful and oh so GOOD.
Oh…that ricotta
Yes, I whipped it in my food processor, which took me an extra five minutes. If you have the time, I’d recommend going the extra mile. While regular ricotta is good, whipped ricotta takes the pasta to new levels.
When you twirl the warm buttery lemon pasta into the creamy whipped cheese, it instantly creates a creamy sauce that melts in your mouth.
Roll your eyes back good, as I like to say. It makes the pasta just a touch more special, which is always ideal.
Looking for other summer pasta? Try these weeknight favorites.
Jammy Cherry Tomato Pasta with Crisp Lemon Rosemary Chickpeas
Antipasto Pasta Salad with Herby Parmesan Vinaigrette
One Pot Lemon Basil, Asparagus, and Sausage Pasta
Lastly, if you make this 20 minute lemon butter pasta with ricotta and spicy breadcrumbs, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Watch the How to video:
20 Minute Lemon Butter Pasta with Ricotta and Spicy Breadcrumbs
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 487 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoon drained capers
- 1/2-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3/4 pound angel hair pasta
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 6 tablespoons cold salted butter
- 1 lemon, sliced, seeds removed
- 1 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1 zucchini or yellow summer squash, very thinly sliced
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves (or 2 teaspoons dried thyme)
- 8 ounces ricotta cheese, whipped, if desired
Instructions
- 1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, the breadcrumbs, capers, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally until the breadcrumbs are toasted all over and the capers fried, about 4 minutes. Remove the breadcrumbs from the skillet. Season with salt. 2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain.3. Meanwhile, set your skillet over medium-high heat. Add the 2 tablespoons butter and lemon slices. Sear until the lemon is caramelized, about 1 minute per side. Remove the lemon from the skillet. Finely chop the lemon slices and mix with the basil.4. To the skillet, add the remaining butter, zucchini, garlic, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the zucchini is golden, 5 minutes. Watch the garlic closely. Remove from the heat, stir in the pasta and 1/2 of the lemon/basil.5. Spread the ricotta into bowls. Add the pasta. Top with breadcrumbs and additional lemon/basil. Twirl the pasta up with the cheese. EAT and ENJOY.
Notes
To Make Fresh Breadcrumbs: Pulse torn bread in a food processor until roughly the size of peppercorns. I like to use ciabatta or crusty sourdough bread. If using fresh crumbs, toast them 3-4 minutes in the skillet first.
Are you putting out a new cookbook???
Stay tuned Olivia:)
So you chop the rind and all after you sauté the lemon? The
Hey Karen,
Yes that’s correct:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I had this same questions about the rind — do you eat it as well?
Hey Danielle,
Yes! Since you caramelize the rind, it will work nicely in the dish! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
How do I get your cookbook?
Hey Margaret,
Here are the links for the cookbooks:
https://rstyle.me/+4FcuwbWKzx11paNfF-rqGg
https://rstyle.me/+eSOCEaCwyvUK5NiZmyrt2A
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
One of my favourite recipes! So simple yet packed with flavour. I love to cook this on a friday night when I’m too tired to put to much thought or effort into my meal, but still want something delicious that feels different from my everyday-meals. Pairs perfectly with a glas of red wine 🙂
Hey there,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
This was not worth the effort! A simple pasta w/lemon and butter sprinkled w/some toasted breadcrumbs would have been easier to make and tasted much better. Caramelizing the lemons was a process that ended up being a bit of a ness resulting in a bitter taste. Tieghan, ILY, but this was not a winner.
Hey Kare,
So sorry you did not enjoy the recipe, please let me know if I can help in any other way! xTieghan
This was delicious! Next time I will reduce the amount of pasta amount and double the zucchini for a lower carb meal. Caramelizing lemons is not as easy as I thought it would be- some rinds were still bitter, and it took longer than expected. Maybe the heat wasn’t high enough? Also added a bit of lemon juice to the whipped ricotta so that made up for the messed up caramelization. Will definitely make this dish again!
Hey Kimche,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! I am sorry about the lemon rinds, I do find using a cast iron skillet to caramelize the the lemons. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I think we didn’t caramelize the lemon enough because it ended up being SO BITTER we could barely eat it, which is so sad because it smelt amazing every step of the way! I would say the spicy breadcrumbs makes the dish, but make sure to caramelize the lemon all the way unless you want to gag eating it. Do you have any tips to help take out the bitterness? We don’t want to throw it out because it looks and smells so good, and we used a lot of herbs from our little garden.
Hey Eliza,
So sorry the lemon was bitter, it is key to really caramelize the lemon to avoid that. Unfortunately I am not sure there is anyway to take that away now that is has been chopped and added to the dish. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
We were really excited to try this dish tonight, and gosh! I should have read the other reviews. Our lemons, like many others, made this dish overwhelmingly bitter. We will have to work with the leftovers to make them palatable. We certainly cooked the lemons long enough. I want to believe that these ingredients will pair well, and if we all are really just getting the lemon piece all wrong, please provide much more detail on exactly how to caramelize the lemons. Thank you!
Hi Naomi,
I am so sorry you had issues with the lemon. The key to caramelizing them is a super hot cast iron skillet and a brown caramel coloring all over the lemon. I hope this helps for next time! xTieghan
We loved this recipe! No changes needed and all the pasta was annihilated! We even had leftovers for lunch which were still tasty.
Yes love that! I am really glad this turned out so well for you, Caitlin! xTieghan
I can’t have pasta without (spicy) breadcrumbs anymore! The recipe is super easy. The charred lemon and basil is a really tasty and unique component! I served with your lemon and garlic butter chicken!
Thank you! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This was so so good, better than I anticipated! I used the juice of a lemon rather than the whole lemon and it was still very lemony and delicious!
Love to hear that! Thank you Mary! xTieghan
HI,
I plan to make this for some friends this weekend and I was wondering if the pasta can be served room temp or if you advise that I serve it hot immediately. I like to serve room temp dishes for company so that I do not have to run back and forth in the kitchen, but I am not sure if this would be good room temp. Thanks!
Hey Alex,
This dish would be totally Fien served room temperature. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I’m sorry – the cooked lemon slices make this meal inedibly bitter! We really didn’t like this recipe, at all.
Hi Dana! I am really sorry to hear that… Please let me know if there is anything I can help with! I hope you love some other recipes of mine! xTieghan
Oh. Mah. Gawd. This might be your most epic recipe! Followed it to a tee. Perfection. I ate the amazing breadcrumbs with a spoon. Cast iron skillet is key for carmelizing the lemons. ‘Nuff said. Bravo!
Thank you so much! I am so happy to hear that! xTieghan
The lemon and basil combination is delicious! I did make a few mistakes, so I will hold off on a review for now but I thought I would share them so others do not do the same! I used a non stick pan and it took quite a while to get the lemons to brown. It was fine but just took a bit. I also made the mistake of using normal breadcrumbs instead of panko, which I do not advice! I probably topped the plates with about a 1 tablespoon which ended up drying it out too much! I will definitely give it another go with a different pan and the correct type of breadcrumbs (face palm).
Thank you so much! I hope this turns out better for you the next time, Ashley! Please let me know if there is anything I can help with! xTieghan