Lemon Pasta with Crispy Salami

Lemon pasta with crispy salami and baby peas is super scrumptious!

The beautiful colors, flavors and textures make it one of my favorite pasta recipes. It boasts a savory lemon cream sauce that will have your family coming back for seconds. Make this delicious lemon pasta in 30 minutes!

LEMON PASTA INGREDIENTS

Freshly-squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest is the secret to this charming lemon pasta! Below are the ingredients for this yummy Italian recipe with its delightfully rich and creamy pasta sauce.

• Wide egg noodles
• Virgin olive oil
• Thinly-sliced Italian dry salami
• Clove of garlic
• Frozen baby peas
• Heavy cream (not Half & Half)
• 2 Lemons – for juice and zest
• Sea salt
• Freshly-ground black pepper
• Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Optional garnish: Italian parsley

LEMON PASTA RECIPE

With easy pasta recipes like this, getting dinner on the table is a snap! Follow these simple step-by-step instructions for making delicious lemon pasta:

• STEP 1: Fill a large pot with 4-quarts of water. Salt the water so it tastes like the ocean. Place the pot over medium/high heat so it comes to a boil. In the meantime, add olive oil to a frying pan. Fry the salami over medium heat until each piece is nicely crisp. With cooking tongs, transfer the crispy salami to a paper-towel-lined plate.
• STEP 2: Add minced garlic and baby peas to the same frying pan. Saute for 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Check on the pot of water. It should have come to a boil.
• STEP 3: In the heavily salted water, add a drizzling of olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking together. Add the pasta. Bring the water back to a boil by covering the pot briefly – about 30-60 seconds. Remove the lid. Boil the pasta al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the salted water. Transfer the pasta to a colander and drain well.
• STEP 4: Add drained pasta back to the pot.

HOW TO MAKE CREAMY PASTA SAUCE

The pure simplicity of this lemon cream sauce is so delightful! It turns ordinary noodles into something special. For a luscious, creamy pasta sauce, follow this easy two-step process:

• STEP 1: Place a small pot over medium heat. Add heavy cream, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Stir or whisk to combine.
• STEP 2: Cook for 2 minutes or until it comes to a boil. Remove pot from heat.

HOW TO MAKE PASTA WITH WHITE SAUCE

Now that you’ve prepped the pasta, peas, crispy salami and lemon cream sauce, it’s time to assemble the lemon pasta with its creamy white sauce!

• STEP 1: Pour the lemon cream sauce and half the lemon juice over the pasta. With tongs or a wooden spoon, mix to combine.
• STEP 2: Place pot over medium heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the creamy pasta sauce has been fully absorbed by the noodles. Do a taste test. Add more lemon juice, as desired. Remove pot from heat.
• STEP 3: Season with more salt and pepper. Fold Parmesan cheese and peas into the noodles. If desired, also fold in two tablespoons of freshly chopped Italian parsley. If pasta needs some added moisture, drizzle some of the reserved salted water and/or olive oil over the noodles and mix it in.
• STEP 4: In a festive way, arrange full slices of crispy salami on top, or crumble the salami and sprinkle it over the surface. Garnish the lemon pasta with an additional sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and/or a few sprigs of Italian parsley.

EXPERT TIPS FOR LEMON PASTA

These expert cooking tips answer frequently asked questions:

CAN I SUBSTITUTE HALF & HALF FOR HEAVY CREAM?

When making this white sauce for pasta, or any recipe for creamy pasta sauce, do not substitute half & half or milk for heavy cream! The less fat that’s in your cream, the higher chance your sauce will not work out. It’s likely it will just be a runny mess.  Commit to whole-fat heavy cream. Your sauce will be rich and glorious, and taste so good! 

HOW TO COOK PASTA PERFECTLY?

• To cook the perfect pot of pasta, select a pot that holds at least 6 quarts. As pasta boils it expands and releases starch. So it’s important to boil pasta in a large enough pot to give the pasta room to shift around while the water is bubbling. 
• For a pound of pasta, fill the pot 3/4 of the way up with water. Heavily salt the water. Taste it. The water should taste like the ocean! When there’s enough water the starch can be properly diluted and not make your pasta gummy. Bring the pot of water to a roiling boil over medium/high heat.
• Add a drizzle of olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking together.  Add the pasta to the pot and immediately give it a swirl with a wooden spoon to separate the noodles. Cover the pot with a lid for 30-60 seconds, or until you hear the water return to a boil. Remove the lid.
• Stir the pasta again at the 2-minute mark. Refer to package directions for cooking time. Immediately transfer pasta to a colander in your kitchen sink. It’s important to drain the pasta well; any excess water on the noodles can literally ruin your pasta sauce!

HOW LONG TO COOK PASTA?

After adding pasta to a pot of boiling water, it generally takes 9 minutes to cook pasta. Because noodles come in different thicknesses, as well as various shapes and sizes, for best results refer to the instructions on the package of pasta.

HOW TO COOK PASTA AL DENTE

For al dente pasta, subtract 3 minutes from the package cooking time and start testing the pasta every 30 seconds from there.

ABOUT LEMON PASTA WITH CRISPY SALAMI

My Lemon Pasta with Crispy Salami was inspired by these two delicious recipes: the New York Times‘ Lemon Pasta, and Crispy Salami with Crushed Pea and Ricotta Pasta by Donna Hay.

EASY PASTA RECIPES

Add these easy pasta recipes to your weekly meal plan rotation!

• COLD SPAGHETTI SALAD
• SPAGHETTI SAUCE FROM SCRATCH
• FETTUCCINI ALFREDO
• LEGENDARY MEAT LASAGNA
• JALAPENO POPPER MAC & CHEESE

BEST KITCHEN TOOLS FOR LEMON PASTA

These helpful kitchen tools are perfect for making easy pasta recipes. Both functional and gorgeous, these pots and pans bring beauty and excitement into your kitchen!

• PASTA POT WITH INSERT
• ALL-CLAD FRYING PANS
• BLACK STAUB COCOTTE
• PETITE STAUB COCOTTE
• CITRUS ZESTER

RATE THIS RECIPE! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Did you enjoy this yummy lemon pasta? Are you excited to make it? Rate this recipe in the comments below!

Lemon Pasta with Crispy Salami

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★★★★★

5 from 17 reviews

• Author: Denay DeGuzman
• Total Time: 30 Minutes
• Yield: 4 Servings 1x

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Description

Lemon pasta with baby peas is a perfect mid-week meal! It’s bright fresh flavor comes from a delightfully creamy pasta sauce. Crispy salami adds a beautiful, unexpected touch to this easy pasta recipe. Make this dish in 30 minutes!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 16 ounces wide egg noodles
• 1–2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
• 1/3 pound thinly-sliced Italian dry salami
• 1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
• 1 cup frozen baby peas
• 1 1/3 cups heavy cream (not Half & Half)
• Juice and zest from 2 lemons
• Sea salt, to taste
• Cracked black pepper, to taste
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan Cheese (plus extra for garnishing)
• Optional garnish: Italian parsley

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Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. While waiting for the water to boil, fry the salami in olive oil over medium heat until crispy. Transfer crispy salami to a paper-towel-lined plate. Add garlic and peas to the frying pan. Saute for 3 minutes.
2. Add a drizzling of olive oil to the pot of boiling water. Add the pasta. Cook al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water, then drain pasta well. Add drained pasta back to the pot.
3. Make lemon cream sauce: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine heavy cream, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes or until it comes to a boil. Pour the lemon cream sauce and half the lemon juice over the pasta. Mix to combine. Place the pot of noodles over medium heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the sauce has been fully absorbed by the noodles. Remove from heat. Taste the pasta. If desired, add more lemon juice. Season with more salt and pepper.
4. Fold peas and Parmesan cheese into the noodles. If desired, fold in two tablespoons of chopped Italian parsley. If the pasta needs moisture, drizzle some reserved salted water over the noodles and mix it in, or add a light drizzling of olive oil. Arrange slices of crispy salami on top of the noodles, or crumble the salami and sprinkle it over the surface. Garnish lemon pasta with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, another few twists of freshly-ground pepper, and sprigs of Italian parsley.

Equipment

Pasta Pot with Insert

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Petite Staub Cocotte

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Black Staub Cocotte

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Notes

EXPERT TIPS

CAN I SUBSTITUTE HALF & HALF FOR HEAVY CREAM?

When making this white sauce for pasta, or any recipe for creamy pasta sauce, do not substitute half & half or milk for heavy cream! The less fat that’s in your cream, the higher chance your sauce will not work out. It’s likely it will just be a runny mess.  Commit to whole-fat heavy cream. Your sauce will be rich and glorious, and taste so good!

HOW TO COOK PASTA PERFECTLY?

• To cook the perfect pot of pasta, select a pot that holds at least 6 quarts. As pasta boils it expands and releases starch. So it’s important to boil pasta in a large enough pot to give the pasta room to shift around while the water is bubbling.
• For a pound of pasta, fill the pot 3/4 of the way up with water. Heavily salt the water. Taste it. The water should taste like the ocean! When there’s enough water the starch can be properly diluted and not make your pasta gummy. Bring the pot of water to a roiling boil over medium/high heat.
• Add a drizzle of olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking together.  Add the pasta to the pot and immediately give it a swirl with a wooden spoon to separate the noodles. Cover the pot with a lid for 30-60 seconds, or until you hear the water return to a boil. Remove the lid.
• Stir the pasta again at the 2-minute mark. Refer to package directions for cooking time. Immediately transfer pasta to a colander in your kitchen sink. It’s important to drain the pasta well; any excess water on the noodles can literally ruin your pasta sauce!

• Prep Time: 10 Minutes
• Cook Time: 20 Minutes
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Italian

Keywords: Lemon Pasta, Lemon Cream Sauce, Creamy Pasta Sauce

LEMON PASTA > JOIN THE CONVERSATION!

Do you enjoy adding easy pasta recipes to your weekly meal plan? Does this yummy lemon pasta make you want to run to the kitchen to cook up a batch of creamy pasta sauce and fry some salami? Share your thoughts in the comments below!