This 10-Minute Nigella Lawson Pasta Is as Good as an Italian Restaurant’s

Spring has sprung, and all I want are bright, fresh flavors. Nigella’s 1998 classic Lemon Linguine ticks off all the right boxes—a punch of citrus and a handful of fresh herbs livens up this creamy pasta dish that’s ready for its comeback. 

Like most Americans, I first discovered Nigella when she made her Food Network debut in the early 2000s on “Nigella Feasts.” Her recipes were often decadent and always presented without fuss or pretense—I remember her eating pasta right out of the pan and opening the fridge for a (clearly staged) late-night snack.

It was a joy to watch someone so comfortable with themselves sharing the sensual enjoyment of food with her audience. I think Nigella helped us leave behind the low-fat foods of the 1990s and learn to relax about it all! 

Why I Love Nigella Lawson’s Lemon Linguine

When I thought about what I wanted to make for dinner the other night, pasta came to mind. I’ve written before about my noodle-loving daughters—we have pasta in some form at least a couple of times a week. I also had a bag of lemons in the fridge (the seedless lemons at Trader Joe’s looked particularly beautiful). 

Then I remembered Nigella’s Lemon Linguine. She cooked it in the first episode of her show, “Nigella Bites.” Watching it now, I’m struck by how I’m at a point in my life similar to hers when she filmed the episode, with young kids and a whole lot going on.

As she quickly tosses the pasta with its simple, no-cook sauce (the only cooking required is boiling your pasta), she describes the dish as “… the sort of food you can really, really make when you’re so stressed out that the idea of cooking makes you want to shriek.” Sounds good to me, Nigella! 

Despite being so fast and easy, this pasta tastes like something you might get in a homey Italian restaurant. It’s rich with egg yolks, butter, and heavy cream, but the lemon zest and juice brighten it up, along with a handful of fresh herbs (on the show, she uses just parsley; freshly torn basil is nice too). 

How I Make Nigella Lawson’s Lemon Linguine

Making this recipe takes very little effort and even less time. Once the water has come to a boil, it takes about 10 minutes from start to finish. You whisk up the sauce ingredients while the pasta is boiling, then combine everything and serve. 

Nigella’s printed version of the recipe makes a lot of pasta. It calls for two pounds of linguine, far more than my family can eat in one night. Since this sauce is best when served right away, I make a half batch.

It will still taste good when reheated, but you’ll lose what she refers to as the sauce’s “liquid velvet” texture. You could even make a quarter batch if you like—it’s a very easy recipe to scale up or down. Now that my girls have a new favorite pasta dish, I’ll be serving it a lot more often.