Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Boil a pot of heavily salted water for your pasta. Cook the pasta, timing it to add straight into the sauce at the end. If you drain the pasta before the sauce is ready, reserve a mug of the pasta water first.
- Heat the olive oil and butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add the onions.
- When sizzling, lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 4-5 minutes until soft.
- Add the garlic and pepper and cook for another minute or two. Ensure nothing is browning; turn the heat to low if needed.
- Add the tomato paste and whisk to combine, cooking for a minute or two.
- With the heat still low-medium, add the cream and whisk to combine evenly. The cream should only gently simmer; adjust heat to low if necessary.
- Add the lemon juice and whisk in quickly. If you find it curdles your sauce, you can add it at the end with the cooked pasta.
- Add the finely grated parmesan in three separate additions, whisking in between to ensure it melts.
- Add your pasta straight into the sauce with a splash of pasta water (about 1/4 cup). Let the pasta bubble gently in the sauce for a minute or two to thicken. Loosen with more pasta water if needed.
- Taste for seasoning and add salt as needed.
- Serve and enjoy. Consider adding extra parmesan, black pepper, or fresh basil leaves.
Notes
If using dried pasta that takes 11-12 minutes to boil, start the sauce about 3-4 minutes into the pasta cooking time. Always reserve some pasta water before draining; it's essential for adjusting sauce consistency. The sauce may seem plentiful initially, but the pasta will absorb it as it sits.