Spaghetti with Lemon and Olive Oil (al Limone)

From America's Test Kitchen Season 12: Vegetarian Pasta Night

Unaccustomed to the spotlight, lemon can turn temperamental in this quick-hit Italian classic—unless you provide it with the perfect costars. We wanted a dish bursting with bright, bracing lemon flavor, moistened with just enough fruity olive oil to coat each delicate strand. Starting with the lemon flavor, we found the window for the right amount of juice per pound of pasta was extremely small, and if we leaned more to either side, the lemon flavor became either too tart or barely noticeable. To boost the lemon’s power without extra acidity, we added some grated zest to the sauce. As for the base of the sauce, we relied on an olive oil–cream sauce—the cream neutralized some of the acids in the juice while augmenting the oils responsible for the fruity, floral notes.