Lemon Pasta With Crispy Salami
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Lemon pasta with crispy salami is a savory, satisfying dish. It boasts a rich lemon cream sauce, tender peas and grated Parmesan. It’ll have everyone coming back for seconds. Make this easy dinner in 30 minutes.
🍋 About Lemon Pasta With Crispy Salami
This Lemon Pasta with Crispy Salami was inspired by 2 delicious recipes: the New York Times‘ Lemon Pasta, and Crispy Salami with Crushed Pea and Ricotta Pasta by Donna Hay. It’s a hybrid recipe that’s beyond delicious.
🛒 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
🥘 Recipe Prep: Salami, Peas & Noodles
- Fill a large pot with 4-quarts water. Salt it 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.
- Add minced garlic and 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.
- Add a drizzle of olive oil to the pot of boiling water. Add in the pasta. Bring 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. Add drained pasta back to the pot.
🥣 Make the Pasta Sauce
The simplicity of this lemon cream sauce is delightful. It turns ordinary noodles into something special. For a luscious, creamy pasta sauce, follow this easy two-step process.
- Place a small pot over medium heat. Add heavy cream, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Stir or whisk to combine.
- Cook for 2 minutes or until it comes to a boil. Remove pot from heat. Proceed with the lemon pasta recipe.
🧑🏼🍳 Assemble Lemon Pasta with Crispy Salami
Now that you’ve prepped the crispy salami, peas, pasta, and lemon cream sauce, it’s time to assemble this tasty dish.
- Pour the lemon cream sauce and half the lemon juice over the pasta. With tongs or a wooden spoon, mix to combine.
- Place the pasta pot over medium heat. Cook 2-3 minutes until the pasta sauce has been fully absorbed by the noodles. Do a taste test. Add more lemon juice if needed. Remove the pot from heat.
- Season with more salt and pepper. Fold Parmesan cheese and peas into the noodles. If desired, fold in freshly chopped Italian parsley. If the pasta needs some added moisture, drizzle some of the reserved salted water and/or olive oil over the noodles and mix it in.
- Arrange the slices of crispy salami on top, or crumble the salami and sprinkle it over the surface. Garnish lemon pasta with an additional Parmesan cheese and/or a few sprigs of Italian parsley.
👩🏻🍳 Recipe FAQ
These are the most commonly-asked questions when making lemon pasta with crispy salami, and the most helpful answers for recipe success.
No, do not substitute half & half or milk for heavy cream. Commit to rich, glorious, whole-fat heavy cream. If using a dairy product without enough fat, it’s very likely that your sauce will be a runny mess.
It generally takes 9 minutes to boil pasta. But because noodles come in different thicknesses, as well as various shapes and sizes, for best results refer to the instructions on the package.
For al dente pasta, subtract 3 minutes from the package cooking time and start testing the pasta every 30 seconds from there.
⏲ Expert Tip: How to Cook Perfect Pasta
- Refer to package directions for cooking time.
- 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 so it tastes like the ocean. When there’s enough water the starch can be properly diluted and not make your pasta gummy.
- Bring the 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. 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!
🍽 More Easy Pasta Recipes
Add these easy recipes to your weekly meal plan rotation.
- Lemon Orzo Salad
- Cold Spaghetti Salad
- Fettucchini Alfredo
- Legendary Meat Lasagna
- Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese
- Homemade Hamburger Helper
- Southern Baked Mac and Cheese
Rate This Recipe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Flavor testers were over-the-moon delighted with this lemon pasta with crispy salami. They commented on the delicious flavor and texture. Everyone enjoyed the crispy salami and reached for seconds.
If you agree this recipe’s a keeper, give it a 5-star rating in the comments. Then be a recipe hero. Share it with friends. 📌 Pin it to Pinterest.
Lemon Pasta with Crispy Salami
- Total Time: 30 Minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
Description
Lemon pasta with crispy salami is a savory, satisfying dish. It features a rich lemon cream sauce, tender peas and grated Parmesan. Make this easy dish in 30 minutes. It’s perfect for dinner and meal trains.
Ingredients
- 16 ounces wide egg noodles
- 1–2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
- 1/3 pound Italian dry salami, thinly sliced
- 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: Fresh Italian parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of heavily-salted water to a boil.
- In the meantime, fry salami in olive oil over medium heat until crisp. Transfer salami to a paper-towel-lined plate. Add garlic and peas to the frying pan. Sauté for 3 minutes.
- Add a drizzle of olive oil to the pot of boiling water. Add in the pasta. Cook al dente according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water, then drain pasta well. Add drained pasta back to the pot.
- 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 – just until the sauce has been fully absorbed by the noodles. Remove from heat. If desired, add more lemon juice. Season with more salt and pepper.
- Fold peas and Parmesan cheese into the noodles. If desired, fold in 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley. If the pasta needs moisture, drizzle in some reserved pasta water 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.
Notes
How to cook pasta al dente: Subtract 3 minutes from the package cooking time and start testing the pasta every 30 seconds from there.
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 20 Minutes
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Lemon Pasta 👉🏻 Join the Conversation
Are you excited to make this lemon pasta with crispy salami? Will it be for a weeknight dinner or a special occasion? Share your thoughts about this easy recipe in the comments below.
This was scrumptious! You’ve broken down the steps in a super simple way to re-create. Thank you!
This lemon pasta was yummy and easy to make. I doubled the amount of crispy salami, crumbled up half and mixed it in. Such great taste and texture.
This was so good and came together quickly. I can’t wait to make it again.
This was so delicious! The whole family enjoyed it. I’ll definitely be making this again.
Perfect and easy. My kiddo loved it. Adding it to the meal plan rotation.
Beyond delicious. So glad I gave it a try. I’m always looking for great dinner options, so thank you.
Wonderful flavor combo! This lemon pasta is always a hit in our house. I’m here getting ready to make it again.
This pasta is so good. Now I want crispy salami on everything! (I never knew about having the water taste like the ocean when you make noodles. Thanks for that tip.)
I’d never thought of adding salami to pasta. It’s pure genius. This is my new favorite meal! I just can’t get enough.
What an interesting and beautiful combination of flavors. I would have never thought of putting all these together.
So much flavours in this pasta dish! And that crispy salami makes everything even more tasty. Making this again for dinner next week.
I am in love with this light and refreshing lemon pasta. So perfect for the summer lunches and I just love the citrus flavor.
The recipe is absolutely brilliant and so delicious. I’m wishing I had doubled the recipe.
This dish is simply amazing. It has tender noodles, bright lemony flavor, great crispy texture from the salami. We really enjoyed it.
Oh my goodness! It was so easy to prepare because of step by step procedures. Thanks for sharing this yummy recipe!
Huge fan of easy and flavorful pasta esp for summer! I can’t wait to make it again and share it with friends.
This looks like my kind of recipe! So perfect for summer dinner, or even packing up for a picnic in the park. Nom!
I am so loving this dish. I loved the creamy lemon sauce with crisp salami. An amazing flavor combo.
I always like a good pasta recipe and this one was excellent. And that crispy salami. Yumm! Thank you for sharing ;-)
You had me at lemon and pasta – two of my favorite things. I added the ingredients to my grocery list. I’m getting so hungry just looking at the photos and reading through the recipe. Can’t wait for dinner!
OMG, this was amazing. I love crispy salami. That puts it over the top. Thanks for the recipe. Going to make it again this weekend!
Yum! I just love my pasta, and this looks incredible. What a great flavor! I must make this for dinner.
Putting this on repeat. My whole family loved it and asked me to save the recipe and make it again.