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    Home » Pasta Recipes » Meyer Lemon Spaghetti with Thyme

    Meyer Lemon Spaghetti with Thyme

    Dec 13, 2025 · by Valentina · 33 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe

    Meyer lemon recipes are always on my mind as the weather cools off and they come into season. This Meyer Lemon Pasta with Thyme is one of my favorites - it's light, delicious and perfect as an entrée or a side dish. It's quick and easy to make a lovely Meyer lemon pasta sauce. You might just make this your go-to recipe. 

    Spaghetti with lemon and fresh thyme on a blue-rimmed ceramic dish.

    It's in the winter that you'll be seeing more and more Meyer lemon recipes being cooked in restaurants, and placed as specials on their menus.

    With just a few ingredients and about twenty minutes, you can make this scrumptious Meyer lemon pasta sauce with pasta. It's fabulous with spaghetti - every single strand is deliciously coated with the buttery citrus flavors. You'll be left wanting more and you might just be caught licking your plate.

    The little Meyer lemon tree that could...

    When we moved into our house years ago, we transplanted a little Meyer lemon tree, which had not yet produced any lemons.

    The next year we got two lemons, and every year since we've gotten about four.
    I don't think we did anything differently this year, but our little, sweet tree has at least two dozen lemons hanging from it.

    Small Meyer lemon tree with many lemons, some orange-ish, some yellow and some still green.
    A few Meyer lemons hanging from a small tree, with water drops on them.

    I never would have imagined I'd have enough lemons to flavor a whole meal with.

    Ingredient Notes

    A few lemons with fresh thyme, dry spaghetti, and tiny white bowls of butter, Parmesan cheese and olive oil.
    • the lemons - Obviously, I'm pitching Meyer lemons here - however, you can certainly make this with other lemon varieties if you can't get your hands on them.
    • spaghetti - Use your favorite brand.
    • fresh thyme - If you want to use dried thyme instead of fresh, use a third of the amount.
    • olive oil - Use an olive oil you love the flavor of, as it's an integral part of the sauce.
    • unsalted butter - I cook (and bake) with unsalted butter so I can better control how much salt goes in a recipe. If you want to use salted butter, be sure to leave out the salt from the ingredient list.
    • Parmesan cheese - Parmigiano Reggiano is lovely!

    What's different about Meyer Lemons?

    Meyer lemons are my favorite lemon variety because of their thinner skin, deeper yellow, sometimes orange color, and slightly sweeter flavor.

    Meyer Lemon Spaghetti with Thyme in a pretty blue-rimmed plate

    Variations

    • Gluten-free version. I love this gluten-free spaghetti.
    • Other herbs. Rosemary and/or sage would be lovely with the lemon and spaghetti.
    • Other pastas. Use any shape that suits you.

    Lemon Zesting and Juicing Tips

    If a recipe, like this one, calls for both citrus zest and juice, always zest before you juice. This might sound obvious, but it's easy to forget when you're prepping ingredients. Also, a microplane zester is the best tool for grating/zesting citrus.

    Serving Suggestions

    I love this dish on its own, and it would be fantastic served with chicken and a salad. I recommend Smoky Paprika Chicken Under a Brick and Citrus Avocado Salad. The flavors in my Blackberry Butter Roasted Chicken would be fantastic alongside the spaghetti.

    More Must-Try Meyer Lemon Recipes

    • Blue-rimmed glass with lemonade.
      My Mom's Meyer Lemonade Recipe
    • Whipped Meyer Lemon Butter in a small blue-rimmed bowl with vanilla pod on top.
      Whipped Meyer Lemon Butter with Vanilla
    • Several Meyer Lemon Crinkle Cookies surrounded by lemons.
      Meyer Lemon Crinkle Cookies
    • One slice of meyer lemon flan on a white plate with a twisted lemon slice.
      Meyer Lemon Flan Recipe

    ---> 25 more delicious recipes made with lemons! <---

    I hope you love this lemon spaghetti as much as my family and I do!

    Meyer Lemon-Thyme Spaghetti Recipe -- Lovely. There's simply no better way to describe Meyer Lemon-Thyme Spaghetti.

    Meyer Lemon-Thyme Spaghetti Recipe

    Valentina K. Wein
    This pasta dish is light, delicious and perfect as an entrée or a side dish. It's quick and easy to make a lovely Meyer lemon pasta sauce. You might just make it your go-to recipe.
    5 from 7 votes
    Print
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 15 minutes mins
    Total Time 20 minutes mins
    Course Main Course, Side Dish
    Cuisine American
    Servings 2 to 4
    Calories 450 kcal

    Equipment

    • colander
    • microplane zester
    • large skillet

    Ingredients
      

    • 10 ounces dry spaghetti
    • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon Meyer lemon zest (from about 1 to 2 lemons)
    • 2 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice (from about 1 to 2 lemons)
    • 1½ tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme
    • ½ teaspoon Kosher salt*
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper, preferably freshly ground
    • 4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese grated or shaved

    Instructions
     

    • Cook the spaghetti. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water until it's al dente. (Al dente means "to the tooth." The pasta should be tender, but with a bite to it.)
    • Make the sauce. As soon as you put the pasta in the water, add the butter, oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, thyme, salt and pepper, to a large skillet. Over low-medium heat, let the butter melt. Then mix and let it gently simmer until the pasta is done.
    • Assemble. Drain the spaghetti, add it to the pan with the sauce, gently toss to coat it well. Serve with the Parmesan.

    NOTES

    *If you use table salt, use half the amount.
    Nutritional information is automatically calculated, so it should only be used as an estimate.

    NUTRITION

    Calories: 450kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 377mg | Potassium: 196mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 516IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 2mg
    Keywords unique pasta recipes, great for a quick dinner
    Have you tried this recipe?I'd love to see it on Instagram! Tag me at @cookingontheweekends or leave a comment & rating below.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Dawn

      December 23, 2025 at 10:45 am

      Such a delicious pasta recipe, Valentina! Lemon and thyme go so well together. Plus, I love how quickly it's made...perfect for busy days!

      Reply
    2. Kim

      January 23, 2024 at 11:40 am

      5 stars
      I made this for lunch, and it was a big hit! I love how simple yet flavorful it is! I'm currently pregnant, and while I've been experiencing a bit of a change in appetite lately, today's meal was just perfect for me. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Valentina

        January 23, 2024 at 3:25 pm

        Hi Kim. This makes me so happy! When I was pregnant there were only certain things that were appealing (and appetizing!), so I love that this dish is one for you. Enjoy and thanks for checking out my site and recipes. 🙂 ~Valentina

        Reply
    3. David Scott Allen

      December 05, 2022 at 10:41 am

      This became such a favorite of ours last year - and, as Meyer lemons are just coming into season here, this is on our menu this week!

      Reply
      • valentina

        December 06, 2022 at 2:00 pm

        Thanks, David! The lemons on my little Meyer lemon tree have just about all gone from green to yellow in the past few weeks. 🙂 ~Valentina

        Reply
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    Hi, I'm Valentina, certified chef, owner, recipe developer and photographer at Cooking on the Weekends. I'm also a mom of two boys and a Los Angeleno. I use seasonal whole foods to create unique and comforting recipes for casual entertaining.

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