Lemon Garlic Greek Yogurt Pasta (Printable)

Creamy pasta with lemon zest, garlic, and Greek yogurt offers a fresh, protein-packed meal in under 30 minutes.

# Components:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz dried pasta (spaghetti, linguine, or penne)
02 - 1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more for pasta water

→ Sauce

03 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
04 - 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
05 - 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (full-fat or low-fat)
06 - 1 large lemon, zested and juiced
07 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
08 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
09 - 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

→ Garnish

10 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
11 - Lemon slices or extra zest (optional)

# Method:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant but not browned.
03 - Reduce heat to low. Stir in Greek yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, sea salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. Combine gently without boiling the sauce.
04 - Add drained pasta to the skillet and toss to coat in the sauce. Gradually incorporate reserved pasta water until the mixture reaches a creamy, silky consistency.
05 - Remove from heat and plate immediately. Garnish with fresh parsley, additional Parmesan, and lemon slices or zest as desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It delivers restaurant-quality creaminess without the heaviness of traditional cream sauces, leaving you satisfied but not weighed down.
  • The bright lemon and garlic transform something as simple as yogurt into something that tastes both luxurious and genuinely easy to pull together.
  • At 21 grams of protein per serving, this feels indulgent while actually being the kind of meal you feel good about eating.
02 -
  • Keep the heat low when the yogurt goes in—I learned this the hard way by watching it split and curdle, which turns your beautiful sauce into something grainy and broken, and there's no coming back from that.
  • The pasta water is essential, not optional; its starch is what transforms the yogurt from thick and clumpy into something that coats the pasta like a proper sauce.
  • Don't finish cooking it on the stove if you're not serving immediately—the residual heat will keep cooking the yogurt, and it'll start to break down, so get it into bowls as soon as it's ready.
03 -
  • Microplane your lemon zest directly over the skillet so you catch the oils—pre-zested lemon is flat and sad by comparison, and these oils are where half the flavor lives.
  • Room-temperature yogurt mixes in more smoothly than cold yogurt straight from the fridge, so take it out five minutes before you start cooking and you'll have fewer lumps to worry about.
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