Creamy Penne Pasta Recipe

Step 1

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted until al dente (follow the package directions). Just a couple of minutes before draining, scoop out some cloudy starchy pasta cooking water (approx ½ cup is fine).

Step 2

While the pasta is cooking, melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook gently for about 2 minutes until it smells good and fragrant.

Step 3

Stir in the cream cheese, ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water, the parmesan cheese, and the lemon zest. Stir until well combined and emulsified, it takes seconds. Reduce the heat, stir in the lemon juice, and adjust the seasoning to your liking (I add ¼ tsp of salt and about ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper).

Step 4

Drain the pasta, add it to the skillet, toss to coat (it takes about 8-10 seconds).

Step 5

Turn the heat off and serve immediately with freshly grated parmesan cheese and extra lemon zest or freshly ground pepper if you wish. Enjoy!