Greek Pasta with Lemon Alfredo Sauce - CopyKat Recipes (2024)

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Are you looking for a delicious twist on traditional pasta? Try this Greek pasta with lemon alfredo sauce recipe! The addition of lemon to alfredo brightens the creamy sauce and gives it a tangy flavor. It’s quick and easy to make, perfect for busy weeknights or weekend dinners. Your family and friends will love this tasty and refreshing twist on classic pasta!

Greek Pasta with Lemon Alfredo Sauce - CopyKat Recipes (1)

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Table of Contents

Homemade Pasta Sauce

Whenever you make up a fresh pasta sauce, it just tastes better.I promise once you begin to make your own pasta sauces at home, picking up a jar of the premade stuff, won’t be what comes to mind.

You may be asking yourself, what makes this sauce so good?If you like Alfredo sauce, this is awonderful change.Sometimes during the winter, if you are lucky enough to get a Meyer lemon, I would use one of those lemons if you have them available, but honestly, any fresh lemon will do.

Cheesy pasta sauce is what made me start making Copykat recipes years ago, so my heart always has a special place for a nice creamy pasta sauce.

The lemon Alfredo sauce is gluten-free. If you want a gluten-free meal, use gluten free pasta.

What Makes Greek Pasta With Lemon Alfredo Sauce So Good?

Alfredo sauce is delicious, but it can feel more than a little bit heavy on the tongue. This Greek style pasta sauce uses citrus to lighten up an Italian classic with spectacular results.

Far from being overly acidic, the lemon juice in this Greek pasta dish helps to balance out the more decadent characteristics of traditional Alfredo sauce, giving it a distinct and refreshing summery brightness.

Why You Should Try This Greek Alfredo Pasta

While not a real avgolemono, the famous Greek egg and lemon juice sauce, lemon Alfredo sauce certainly has some similarities regarding the flavor. It is a very quick and simple cream sauce to make, guaranteed to impress diners. What more could you want from a pasta sauce?

Greek Penne Pasta Ingredients

For the sauce, you’ll need:

  • Heavy cream
  • Unsalted butter
  • Parmesan cheese, grated
  • Lemon juice
  • Lemon zest
  • Black pepper
  • Salt

For completing the Greek pasta recipe, you’ll need:

  • Penne pasta
  • Parmesan cheese, grated
  • Capers (optional)
  • Parsley (optional)
Greek Pasta with Lemon Alfredo Sauce - CopyKat Recipes (2)

Ingredient Notes

Grate your Parmesan cheese fresh if you can, don’t use the stuff in the green jar. Often pre-shredded cheese doesn’t melt quite as well.Special ingredients are added to shredded cheese to keep it separated, making the sauce lumpy and causing the cheese not to melt smoothly.

Freshly squeezed lemon juice will give you the best flavor for this dish. Since you will be zesting it, try to use an organic lemon.

To cook the pasta:

  1. Prepare the pasta to al dente according to the package instructions.
  2. Five minutes before the pasta is ready, it is time to start preparing the sauce. See below.
  3. Drain the pasta.

To prepare the lemon Alfredo sauce:

  1. Wash the lemon well and dry it with a clean kitchen towel.
  2. Zest the lemon with amicroplane. Be sure to zest only the outer skin and leave the white pith alone. Put the zest aside.
  3. Juice the lemon and reserve the lemon juice for later.
  4. In a saucepan or large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter.
  5. Stir in the heavy cream.
  6. Continue stirring, and when the first bubbles appear, add the grated parmesan cheese.
  7. When the cheese melts, turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice and zest.
  8. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  9. Remove the saucepan from the stove and cover it to keep the sauce warm.

To plate the pasta with lemon Alfredo sauce:

  1. Return the drained pasta to the pasta pot.
  2. Pour the warm sauce into the pasta pot.
  3. Toss gently to coat the pasta and plate.
  4. Garnish with parmesan cheese and optional fresh parsley and capers.
Greek Pasta with Lemon Alfredo Sauce - CopyKat Recipes (3)
Greek Pasta with Lemon Alfredo Sauce - CopyKat Recipes (4)

What to Serve With It

Pair the pasta withgarlic breador a mixed salad with a simpleItalian salad dressing.

Feel free to add a few extra ingredients to your pasta sauce. Cooked veggies such as asparagus, broccoli, spinach, peas, or zucchini are lovely. You may also consider topping the pasta with chunks of grilled chicken or shrimp.

How to Store the Leftovers

Although it is best to use this sauce soon after making it, you can save it in the refrigerator for a few days. Keep the sauce and pasta in two separate airtight containers to prevent the pasta from getting soggy. The sauce will thicken and may form a skin on the surface. That is okay.

Do not freeze pasta with lemon Alfredo sauce.

What’s the Best Way to Reheat Greek Lemon Pasta

The best method of rewarming the sauce is in a saucepan over low heat. You will need to add some more heavy cream to help thin out the sauce. You can use whole milk if you don’t have any more heavy cream.

Heat the sauce slowly and stir continuously to prevent the sauce from burning. You don’t want it to simmer.

To reheat the pasta, boil water and dump the pasta in the water for about 45 seconds. Drain and toss with warm sauce.

Greek Pasta with Lemon Alfredo Sauce - CopyKat Recipes (5)

More Greek Recipes

  • Greek Meatballs
  • Greek Roasted Potatoes
  • Traditional Greek Salad

Favorite Alfredo Sauce and Pasta Recipes

  • Creamy Alfredo Sauce
  • Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce
  • Olive Garden Angry Alfredo
  • Olive Garden Asiago Tortellini Alfredo
  • Olive Garden Chicken Alfredo
  • Olive Garden Shrimp Alfredo
  • Olive Garden Steak Alfredo
  • One Pot Chicken Alfredo
  • Pasta House Fettuccine Alfredo
  • Red Lobster Crab Alfredo

Check out more of my easy pasta recipes and the best recipes for sauces on CopyKat!

Greek Pasta with Lemon Alfredo Sauce

Greek pasta with lemon Alfredo sauce is a delicious twist on a traditional dish.

5 from 2 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Pasta

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 684kcal

Author: Stephanie Manley

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 pint heavy cream
  • 1 cup Parmesan cheese plus more to garnish
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste
  • 12 ounces penne pasta cooked according to package directions
  • parsley to garnish (optional)
  • capers to garnish (optional)

Instructions

  • Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the heavy cream.

  • When the mixture begins to bubble, add the Parmesan cheese and stir until the cheese has melted and the mixture is well blended.

  • Mix in the lemon juice and lemon zest and season with salt and pepper to taste.

  • In a bowl, combine the cooked pasta with the prepared sauce and mix well.

  • Garnish with some additional Parmesan cheese, parsley, or a few capers, if desired.

Notes

This dish does not reheat well, so plan to enjoying it in one sitting. You might choose to serve it with some fried chicken cutlets and a glass of white wine.

Nutrition

Calories: 684kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 49g | Saturated Fat: 30g | Cholesterol: 160mg | Sodium: 629mg | Potassium: 200mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1760IU | Vitamin C: 2.1mg | Calcium: 265mg | Iron: 0.9mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Yayforme

    Greek Pasta with Lemon Alfredo Sauce - CopyKat Recipes (7)
    I did a healthier modification to this recipe. Instead of heavy cream, I used almond milk. Instead of butter, I used about a tablespoon of coconut oil. I thickened it with some cornstarch and used the above measurements for the rest. I also added capers.. yum yum. (Just incase anyone wants to make a lighter version) It turned out to be very delicious.

    Reply

    • stephaniemanley

      Great suggestions, thank you!

      Reply

    • Davida Rochelle

      Thanks to both for sharing. I will add mixed veggies to the lighter version. I never knew some of these dishes had so much fat in them. No wonder I had a stomach ache afterwards.

      Reply

      • Stephanie Manley

        Let me know how your dish tastes, it sounds like you are going to enjoy a special dinner.

  2. Jmadrigal29

    Is this just the sauce they use for it? does it taste exactly or close enough to sweet tomatoes? I could of been mistaken but I thought I seen them put pesto in it

    Reply

    • Anonymous

      I am not sure I understand your question. I made the recipe as close as the one that I tried from them. Now, they have 100s of recipes that they serve. So this was the recipe that I made in response to the one I tried. There wasn’t any pesto in the recipe I tried.

      Reply

  3. Judy

    I am off to the store to make this recipe for tomorrow and serve with a baked mustard brown sugar ham. It looks delicious.. Thanks for posting..

    Reply

    • Stephanie

      I hope you enjoy this one. I really liked this pasta sauce.

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Greek Pasta with Lemon Alfredo Sauce - CopyKat Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What can I add to jar alfredo sauce to make it better? ›

15 Ways To Upgrade Store-Bought Alfredo Sauce
  1. Add extra cheese for creaminess and flavor. ...
  2. Stir in a touch of marinara to mimic a vodka sauce. ...
  3. Mix in a bit of pesto for an instant transformation. ...
  4. Add roasted or sauteed garlic for a serious boost in flavor. ...
  5. Simmer with extra herbs and spices for added depth.
Feb 29, 2024

What pasta is best with alfredo sauce? ›

As a general rule, pair the heartier sauces with the wider noodles: Wide ribbons like pappardelle pair well with rich, meaty sauces while the thinner flat noodles, like fettuccine or linguine, are best paired with simple cream sauces like Alfredo or delicate proteins like seafood.

What is the secret to smooth Alfredo sauce? ›

Fresh parmesan cheese grated off the block is one of those key ingredients. This will create a smooth textured sauce rather than a grainy one. Butter: Both unsalted or salted work for this alfredo sauce recipe. If using salted butter, then just adjust the extra salt you use or omit it entirely.

Should you put pasta water in alfredo sauce? ›

After 12 ounces of fettuccine pasta noodles are finished cooking, reserve 2 cups of the pasta water to include in your sauce. The starchy water is essential to creating a thick, creamy sauce consistency.

How do you doctor up a jar of Alfredo sauce? ›

Milk, heavy cream, or sour cream.

You will get a creamier texture and a bolder flavor. If you want, you can also add some romano cheese to balance the nutty taste of the other dairy ingredients. Chicken broth: another way to improve a jar of Alfredo sauce and give it a rich flavor.

How to make pasta with jar sauce better? ›

Mix in Some Meat

Mixing meat into your jarred pasta sauce will do wonders for making it taste high-quality. Browning and adding some sausage, turkey, chicken or ground beef will increase your sauce's flavor, incorporate extra texture, infuse a heartier taste and up the protein content.

How do you make Alfredo pasta taste better? ›

Fresh herbs will brighten and freshen the flavor of the sauce. Resnick suggests using parsley, thyme, oregano, or chervil, or mixing and matching depending on what you like. To use them, finely mince 2 tablespoons of your chosen herbs. Heartier herbs like thyme or oregano can be added in to simmer with the sauce.

What flavors compliment Alfredo sauce? ›

Add basil, parsley, oregano, or rosemary to add life to the sauce. The first three herbs are classic for many Italian dishes, and rosemary is a common addition to creamy potato dishes, so adding them to a jarred Alfredo sauce makes sense.

What vegetables to add to Alfredo sauce? ›

Stir in big handfuls of spinach, Kale mushrooms, zucchini, onions, broccoli, spinach, squash, or grape tomatoes after the pasta is cooked. You can also substitute zucchini (zoodles) for the pasta.

What thickens Alfredo sauce? ›

The key ingredient in Alfredo sauce is cheese—generally Parmigiano Reggiano—and lots of it. To thicken Alfredo sauce, simply add more cheese than the amount called for in a recipe until you achieve the consistency you want.

How to make Alfredo sauce creamy and not gritty? ›

Things that I've learned are:
  1. don't use low fat milk -- the higher the fat content the smoother your cheese will melt/incorporate.
  2. once the base is made (the flour, butter, milk "sauce" -- bechamel?) take the pot OFF the heat.The more your heat your cheese sauce, the more it will get gritty.
May 10, 2021

How to get cheese to melt in Alfredo sauce? ›

Stir Parmesan cheese into cream mixture; simmer until sauce is thickened and smooth, 8 to 10 minutes. Add mozzarella cheese; cook and stir until melted, about 5 minutes. While the sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.

What happens if you don't add pasta water to sauce? ›

Once the pasta is in the sauce, add pasta water. This is the most vital step in the process. Starchy pasta water doesn't just help thin the sauce to the right consistency; it also helps it cling to the pasta better and emulsify with the fat and cheese you're going to be adding.

Can I use regular water instead of pasta water? ›

Keep tasting the pasta and sauce as you cook them together—and switch to adding plain unsalted water if the pasta needs to cook a little longer but already has enough salt.

How do you make jar sauce taste better? ›

A generous sprig or two of fresh herbs like basil, parsley, rosemary, or sage can all amp up the flavor of a jarred pasta sauce. Alternatively, some of those herbs, like parsley, sage, and rosemary, can be great minced up and gently fried into fresh olive oil before adding the sauce to the pot.

How to make prego Alfredo sauce better reddit? ›

For Alfredo, I usually mince garlic to throw in and grate a sinful amount of Parmesan into it. A touch of sour cream can give a bit more creaminess and flavor, a little white wine usually helps a bit, and sometimes I'll throw in some sun dried tomatoes for fun.

What can I add to Alfredo? ›

There are dozens of variations of fettuccine Alfredo out there. You could sprinkle in fresh herbs and lemon zest or juice to cut the richness of the cream. You could also top servings with cooked shrimp or chicken for some protein, or toss in a vegetable like cooked asparagus!

How to make store-bought Alfredo sauce thicker? ›

Cornstarch

The easiest way to accomplish this is to mix about a spoonful of cornstarch to 2 spoonfuls of liquid – it could be water or chicken stock or even milk. You will add this mixture, also called a slurry to the sauce and as it starts to cook, the sauce will thicken.

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