Spirited and Then Some

A food blog with hundreds of delicious gluten-free and dairy-free recipes.

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
  • Resources
    • Blogging Resources
    • Photography Resources
    • Teacher Resources
  • Blog
  • RSS
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Main Dishes Recipes Valentine's Day

Gluten-Free Lemon Garlic Pasta

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

Gluten-Free Lemon Garlic Pasta is a savory blend of fresh garlic and lemon juice, paired with gluten-free spaghetti, sea salt, and olive oil. Top with parsley or chopped cashews for extra flavor! This whole meal is ready to go in about 25 minutes! {GF + VG}

Garlic + pasta = DATE NIGHT IN AT HOME! Please allow me to gush over how delicious Gluten-Free Lemon Garlic Pasta is. Because lemon and garlic go hand in hand, like almond butter and chocolate or Moira and her wigs. Friends, if you haven’t ventured beyond pairing spaghetti with tomato sauce, may I please suggest this recipe as a starting point?

It is a simple ingredient list with all the tasty trappings of what would seem to be a much more complicated recipe. You’re tastebuds will honestly think they’re dining at a fancy restaurant, but your wallet will know you’re staying in. And your budget will thank you for your prudent choice.

So let’s whirl up a batch of this gluten-free goodness and enjoy a fancy dinner that takes only minutes to make!

Garlic slices in olive oil in a stainless steel skillet.

Gluten-Free Lemon Garlic Pasta ingredients

Here are the ingredients to make your own Gluten-Free Lemon Garlic Pasta!

  • Gluten-free spaghetti. The pasta doesn’t need to be fancy. In fact, my favorite brand is the generic version at our local grocery store. If you are new to cooking with gluten-free pasta, then check out How to Cook Gluten-Free Pasta!
  • Olive oil and sea salt. You’ll use these ingredients with the spaghetti AND with the garlic.
  • Garlic. Fresh cloves, thinly sliced. And the more the better!
  • Juice of half a lemon. Add more or less as desired to the final dish. Fresh is always great but lemon juice from a bottle will also work!
  • Dried parsley flakes. Optional but highly suggested. Not only are they an eye-catching addition to the dish, but they also add an earthy flavor that pairs well with the garlic and lemon!
Gluten-Free Lemon garlic Pasta in a stainless steel bowl on a white marble surface.

How to make Gluten-Free Lemon Garlic Pasta

Here are the steps you’ll need to follow to make your own Gluten-Free Lemon Garlic Pasta. The recipe itself isn’t complicated, but gluten-free spaghetti can be finicky at times. Helpful tips are included in the next section to achieve ideal results.

  1. In a large pot or rondeau pan, cook gluten-free pasta according to package instructions. I like to add 1/8 teaspoon sea salt and 1-2 tablespoons olive oil for extra flavor. While the pasta cooks, use a fork to separate individual pieces that stick together. The water may turn especially starchy and thick. This appears to depend on the brand.
  2. In a small skillet, combine 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/8 teaspoon sea salt, and sliced garlic cloves. Cook on a LOW to MEDIUM heat until the garlic has turned an amber color but is not burned. Remove from heat.
  3. When the pasta is cooked, drain the water, reserving one cup, and rinse the pasta in warm or hot water if the pasta water became especially thick during the boiling process. Return pasta to the pan or a serving bowl. Add the garlic and olive oil mixture and stir until the pasta is evenly coated. Then add the starchy water, 1-2 tablespoons at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lemon over the top and sprinkle with parsley flakes and chopped cashews, if desired.
  4. Refrigerate leftovers and consume within 24 hours.

Tips for how to make gluten-free pasta

Below are a few tips to make cooking with gluten-free pasta easy!

  • Bring the water to a boil before adding the pasta. This helps the pasta cook more evenly and prevents it from becoming mushy.
  • Separate the pasta with a fork while it cooks. You may need to do this continually throughout the cooking process.
  • Keep a close eye on the spaghetti. Gluten-free pasta often goes from al dente to mush in what feels like a matter of seconds. 
  • If the water becomes really thick, almost like a starchy film, you may need to rinse the spaghetti in warm water once it’s done cooking. Using a large pot and adding a lot of water seems to help prevent the spaghetti from becoming slimy.

More garlic action!

Here are a few of my fave gluten-free garlic dinner recipes!

  • Lemon Garlic Broccoli Pasta
  • Lemon Avocado Dip
  • Garlic Cashew Pasta
  • Lemon Baked Chicken

Take care, Spiriteds. I hope this recipe finds you well. I’m glad you’re here! ❤️

Print

Gluten-Free Lemon Garlic Pasta

Print Recipe

Gluten-Free Lemon Garlic Pasta is a savory blend of fresh garlic and lemon juice, paired with gluten-free spaghetti, sea salt, and olive oil. Top with parsley or chopped cashew for extra flavor! This whole recipe is ready to go in about 20 minutes! {GF + VG}

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Main Dishes
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 box gluten-free spaghetti
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, divided 
  • 8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • Juice of 1/2 a lemon (or about 1 tablespoon lemon juice)
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes, optional
  • Handful of chopped cashews, optional

Instructions

  1. In a large pot or rondeau pan, cook gluten-free pasta according to package instructions. I like to add 1/8 teaspoon and 1-2 tablespoons olive oil for extra flavor. While the pasta cooks, use a fork to separate individual pieces that stick together. While the pasta cooks, the water will turn starchy and thicken. As it does, reserve up to one cup of starchy water for the pasta and set it aside.
  2. While the pasta is cooking, combine 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/8 teaspoon sea salt, and sliced garlic cloves in a small skillet. Sauté on a LOW to MEDIUM heat until the garlic has turned an amber color but is not burned. Remove from heat.
  3. When the pasta is cooked, drain the water and rinse the pasta in warm or hot water. Return pasta to the pan or a serving bowl. Add the garlic and olive oil mixture and stir until the pasta is evenly coated. Then add the starchy water, 1-2 tablespoons at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lemon over the top and sprinkle with parsley flakes and chopped cashews, if desired.
  4. Refrigerate leftovers and consume within 24 hours.

    Notes

    • Bring water to a boil before adding the pasta.
    • If the spaghetti sticks together while cooking, separate with a fork.
    • Keep a close eye on the pasta while it cooks. It will go from al dente to mush in what feels like a matter of seconds. 🙂
    • If the pasta water becomes filmy or slimy, still reserve some of the water and rinse the spaghetti in warm water before adding the garlic mixture and starchy water. To prevent this from happening, use a large pot for cooking and add enough water to cover the spaghetti. Whether this happens or not may depend on the brand of spaghetti used.

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @SpiritedMorgan on Instagram and hashtag it #SpiritedRecipes

    You May Also Enjoy These Posts...

    Easy Paleo Apple Chicken Salad
    Mediterranean Chicken Sauté
    Baked Caramel Almond Apples
    Slow Cooker Beef Tacos

    Main Dishes Recipes Valentine's Day


    Leave a Comment

    About Spirited and then Some

    I'm Morgan. A spirited, social chatterbox, small biz owner, and teacher. Lover of all things food. Think dip. Lover of all things family. Think K-Hubs, Toodlebug, and Twinkleberry. I'm so glad you found our spirited community.... Click Here to Read More

    « Chai Iced Tea
    Chicken Lime Soup »

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    Greetings!

    I'm Morgan. A spirited, social chatterbox, small biz owner, and teacher. Lover of all things food. Think dip. Lover of all things family. Think K-Hubs, Toodlebug, and Twinkleberry. I'm so glad you found our spirited community. Learn more…

    Take a Stroll

    my foodgawker gallery  my finding vegan gallery  
    View my Tasty Kitchen Profile

    Recent Posts

    • Cucumber Mint Cooler
    • Rustic Farmhouse Classroom Decor
    • Apple Slice Charcuterie Board
    • Chocolate-Drizzled Matcha Energy Bites
    • How to Make Cauliflower Rice
    • Creamy Avocado Garlic Quinoa Bowls

    Categories

    As Seen On

    Pure Wow logo
    Red Tricycle Logo
    Yahoo! Lifestyle logo
    Mom and daughters in front of Magnolia Market in Waco, Texas! | spiritedandthensome.com

    Family

    How to make 3-ingredient Fluffy Slime without borax! | spiritedandthensome.com

    Kids’ Activities

    Spirited Learning

    • About Us
    • Blog
    • Recipes
    • Family
    • Kids’ Activities
    • Resources
    • Photography Tips
    • Blogging Tips
    • Free Course
    • Privacy Policy

    Copyright © 2023 · Divine Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT