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 so quick and easy to make a lovely Meyer lemon pasta sauce, you might just make this your go-to-recipe.
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.
I never would have imagined I'd have enough lemons to flavor a whole meal with.
Ingredient Notes
- 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 used 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.
Variations
- Gluten-free version. I love this gluten-free spaghetti, and always use it for this recipe when gluten-free eaters are joining us.
- 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 along side the spaghetti.
More Must-Try Meyer Lemon Recipes
---> 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
Ingredients
- 8 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)
- 2 teaspoons 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
NUTRITION
Deb|EastofEdenCooking
Lemon anything is a personal favorite. I would love to dig into that plate of lush spaghetti!
A fantastic way to begin the New Year.
valentina
Thanks, Deb. I dug deep.;-) Happy New Year!
Tara | Deliciously Declassified
Yum! This sounds so fresh and delicious! I wish i had a green thumb - I'd love to have a lemon tree in my backyard but I don't think I could make that happen!
valentina
My thumb is brown, at best. 😉 You can do it for sure! Thanks for the comment. 🙂
Karen @ Seasonal Cravings
I'm so jealous that you have a meyer lemon tree. That is so cool. This dish looks super simple and full of flavor. I love the lemon thyme combo and often marinate my chicken in that.
valentina
Simple and full of flavor, indeed. And I'm loving your idea of marinating chicken in the "sauce." Brilliant! Thank you.
Platter Talk
This sounds especially delicious! Love the zesty addition of the lemon.
valentina
Thanks so much! Yes, the zest is lovely!
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious
As soon as my Meyers ripen, I will make this!
valentina
Yay! I've been loving it. 🙂
Gin
Your lemons look beautiful! You've convinced me I really need to try Meyer lemons this year. I love their deeper color inside!
valentina
Oh you must -- especially if you've never tried them. They're just lovely. And thank you.
Ali
I love Meyer lemons! I really want to try to grow one - I've heard rumors that they can overwinter here in parts of Oregon if they are sufficiently sheltered. This pasta looks lovely - will definitely be making it soon!
valentina
Thanks so much, Ali. If I have 2 dozen lemons on my tiny tree, I"m convinced anyone can do it. I bet they'd love the Oregon rain. 🙂
David
Yes, please! Actually, Meyer lemon season has passed for us in Tucson, but I just saw some at Trader Joe's so would love to give this a try. What could be better?
valentina
Thanks, David! Looks like you've had some fantastic traveling lately -- can't wait to see what you're cooking as a result. 🙂
David
Made this last night and loved it! Beyond love! A new favorite, for sure!(Obviously wasted 5 years by not trying it till last evening!) Thanks so much! XO
valentina
David, this makes me SO happy. You totally made my day (again!), and I so appreciate you sharing it on FB, too. So kind of you. 🙂 ~Valentina
Peg
Like David, I just saw some Meyer's at the store and picked them up. I googled recipes for them and this one spoke volumes to me! I will be making it this week! Thanks!!
valentina
Thanks so much! So happy your search led you to this spaghetti recipe. I hope you love it as much as we do. 🙂
Jan Schleier
I Love this recipe! We have been adding cooked shrimp to it in order to add some protein and it is really yummy! When I was out of fresh thyme I used oregano and that tastes great, too. Also great on spaghetti squash!
valentina
Thanks so much for sharing this, Jan! You made my day. Shrimp is the perfect protein addition, as it is so delicious with lemon. And the oregano sounds lovely, too. I will have to try it with spaghetti squash. Great idea. 🙂
Liv
Love this recipe! I like to throw in some rosemary with the thyme 🙂 Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
valentina
Thank you so much, Liv! How lovely to add rosemary, too. Happy Holidays to you and thanks for cooking my recipes. 🙂 ~Valentina
Paula
I added more lemon juice and zest cause we love it! I also picked up some Dungeness crab at my local fish market, and combined some finely chopped mint and parsley to the thyme mix. Delicious!
valentina
Hi Paula, thanks so much for writing in. I'm so happy you enjoyed this recipe. The addition of the crab and herbs is brilliant. What a perfect protein to go with the lemon flavor. 🙂 ~Valentina
Chef Mimi
Wonderful! My friend brought me 4 lemons a couple of weeks ago and I turned one into lemonade, and the other three into a lemon dressing. Such a fabulous lemon flavor! I posted about using a whole lemon to make a dressing years ago, just adding olive oil and salt. I should have remembered that! And if you get any more Meyer lemons, do try the whole lemon dressing. Fabulous pasta.
valentina
Thanks so much, Mimi. Ooooh, I'm going now to check out your lemon dressing. Sounds amazing! ~Valentina
David Scott Allen
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!
valentina
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
Kim
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!
Valentina
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