Creamy Roast Garlic and Lemon Pasta Sauce

A rich pasta sauce built from whole roasted garlic bulbs, cream, lemon and Parmesan.

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Recipe Info
Servings: 4
Prep: 15m
Cook: 55m
Total: 1h10m
Ingredients
  • Pasta of your choice, 600g fresh or 400g dried
  • 3 whole heads garlic
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 45g butter, cubed
  • 3/4 tsp pepper
  • 360ml single cream (or double for a richer sauce)
  • 3-4 tbsp lemon juice
  • Zest of 1-2 lemons
  • 75g Parmesan, finely grated
  • Extra lemon zest, to serve
  • Dried chilli flakes or smoked paprika, to serve
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
  2. Prepare the garlic bulbs: remove the outer papery layers and cut the top off horizontally, exposing the tops of the cloves.
  3. Drizzle the tops with olive oil, wrap each individually in foil and roast for about 45 minutes, until the cloves are soft and starting to caramelise.
  4. Once cool enough to handle, squeeze out the garlic and mash to a smooth paste.
  5. Cook the pasta in a pot of well-salted boiling water.
  6. Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat until it foams, then add the pepper and stir.
  7. Add the garlic paste and whisk through (add to taste — use the full amount if you love garlic!).
  8. Add the cream and whisk in, keeping the heat gentle so it’s simmering, not boiling.
  9. Add the lemon juice and zest and whisk again.
  10. Add the Parmesan in a few lots, whisking and letting it melt between each addition.
  11. Let it simmer gently for a couple of minutes until it thickens slightly.
  12. Add the cooked pasta straight into the sauce with a splash of pasta water and let it bubble for a minute.
  13. Add more pasta water as needed to keep the sauce loose and glossy.
  14. Top with extra lemon zest and a dusting of chilli flakes or smoked paprika.
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