This four-ingredient pasta coined by Frank Prisinzano is one of my all-time favorites. It's rich and buttery but still bright and fresh as the same time, the best of both worlds. I stuck with the classic four-ingredients: Butter, Parmesan, Lemon and Pasta, but you could add just about anything to this and it would be delicious. The best part? It comes together in the time it takes to boil your pasta!
Ingredients:
1/2 lb cooked spaghetti (reserve 1-2 cups pasta water)
Salt
5 tbsp butter
Juice and zest from one lemon (more or less, to taste)
1/2 cup Grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
Black pepper
Instructions:
In a large pot, cook your pasta in heavily salted water until al dente (a couple minutes less than package instructions)
Once pasta is just about "done", melt butter over medium low heat in a saucepan. Add in your lemon zest and juice followed by half a ladle of pasta water. Stir. Add in your cooked pasta directly into the pan. Stir until it has all emulsified into a rich buttery sauce. This might take a few steps of adding more pasta water and butter, but just be patient and go with how you feel.
Once the sauce is nice and silky, add in your parmesan and stir until fully melted. You might need to add a touch more pasta water here.
Serve immediately and top with more fresh parm and black pepper. Red pepper would be great too! Enjoy!
Serves: 2
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes