The first time we cooked this in the test kitchen, we kept adding more things. A handful of basil. Some capers. A splash of cream. We added them all, tasted, and then stripped everything back out. The best version of Spaghetti al Limone is also the most stripped-down one: good pasta, one lemon, butter, Parmigiano, pasta water. That is the whole recipe.
The technique is the same one that runs through most of the great pasta dishes: you build a loose emulsion in the pan, off the heat, with starchy pasta water as the binder. Here, the lemon does two things. The juice carries the acid and thins the sauce. The zest carries the flavor.
Use an unwaxed lemon. Taste before you add the second one. This is a recipe that benefits from restraint at every step.
Set servings and units first. You can change them anytime.
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.
Zest both lemons finely with a microplane. Juice one lemon: you need about 3 tbsp of juice. Set aside a small pinch of zest for the finish.
In a wide pan over low heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add most of the lemon zest and all the lemon juice. Stir gently and keep warm. Do not let it bubble.
Cook the spaghetti for 9 minutes, then drain, reserving 2 cups of pasta water.
Transfer the spaghetti to the lemon pan. Add 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss over low heat for 1 minute, adding more pasta water tablespoon by tablespoon until the sauce is glossy and just coats the strands.
Remove from heat. Wait 20 seconds. Add the Parmigiano all at once and toss vigorously until the cheese melts and the sauce is silky.
Serve immediately. Finish with the reserved lemon zest, a generous grind of black pepper, and a thin drizzle of olive oil.
You made Spaghetti al Limone. Time to eat.
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Take the pan off the heat before adding the cheese. If the pan is still hot, the Parmigiano proteins seize and you get a grainy sauce. Wait twenty seconds after you remove the pan from the heat, then add the cheese and toss. The residual heat is exactly right.
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