Mascarpone Pasta is the kind of dish that comes together quickly, but the difference between good and great is all in how you build the sauce. This version is deliciously easy and includes arugula, garlic, and red onion for flavor and texture.
After years working as a personal chef, I’ve learned that creamy pasta needs balance just as much as richness. This recipe starts with aromatics, brightens things up with lemon, and finishes with mascarpone for a silky, well-emulsified sauce that actually clings to the pasta. And while I love a good one-pot recipe, cooking the pasta in its own saucepan while building the sauce in a wide skillet ensures both are perfectly cooked before coming together.
If you like this technique, you might want to try my Black Garlic Pasta next.
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Why Make Mascarpone Lemon Pasta
- Creamy but light: If you’re looking for a decadent pasta recipe that doesn’t feel too heavy, this is it!
- Done in 15 minutes: Making the mascarpone sauce for pasta at the same time as boiling the noodles means this recipe comes together quickly.
- Vegetarian meal: Great option for when you are serving vegetarians or just looking to reduce the amount of meat in your diet.
Ingredients for Mascarpone Pasta Sauce
- Red Onion: Feel free to replace this with chopped shallot or with a chopped sweet onion.
- Pasta: We love how the mascarpone sauce clings to the gemelli pasta in this recipe, but you can choose whatever pasta you love. Because you are cooking the pasta separately, it doesn’t matter how long your pasta takes to cook. Spaghetti and fettuccine also work well!
- Butter: We generally prefer using unsalted butter, so that we can control the salt content, but either salted or unsalted butter can be used.
- Mascarpone: You can generally find this in the specialty cheese section of your grocery store, often in a small tub.
- Heavy Cream: You could try half-and-half as a substitute, but don’t replace with milk. It just won’t thicken and give you that creamy texture.
- Arugula: The peppery bite from the arugula is a great match to this pasta, but you could easily substitute baby spinach.
How to Make this Lemon Pasta Sauce Recipe
- Peel and mince 2 garlic cloves and ½ of a small red onion. Zest a lemon, then squeeze one half until you have 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
2. Bring a large saucepan of water to boil, add a couple of teaspoons of salt, and cook 8 ounces of pasta to al dente according to package directions. Reserve ½ cup of cooking liquid before draining.
3. While pasta is cooking, sauté 2 tablespoons butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat, then add garlic and onions. Sauté until garlic and onions are softened, but not browned, about 3-5 minutes.
4. Add 4 ounces softened mascarpone cheese and ½ cup heavy cream, stirring to melt the cheese. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens (about 5 minutes).
5. Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon zest.
6. Taste and add salt, pepper, and more lemon juice as needed.
7. Stir in drained pasta and 2 cups arugula.
8. Toss until pasta is heated through, arugula is wilted, and sauce coats everything (about 1 minute).
9. Serve immediately.
10. If pasta sits for a little while and the sauce dries out, add a little of the reserved pasta water while stirring over low heat.
🧐 Recipe FAQs for Mascarpone Pasta
As with many creamy pastas, this recipe is not great for make-ahead. The mascarpone sauce will dry out as the pasta cools. That said, you can bring it back to life by tossing it with some warm water or cream, and reheating it. Doing this in a skillet on the stove works best, but you can also reheat a dish of pasta in the microwave. Stop every 15 seconds or so to stir so that the pasta absorbs the new liquid and creates a creamy sauce again.
Mascarpone is an Italian cheese that is made in the same way as traditional cream cheese. But unlike cream cheese, mascarpone uses whole cream rather than milk as its base. Mascarpone can be slightly softer and creamier than cream cheese, but it is very similar, and can be used in place of cream cheese in many recipes.
Leftovers will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator, but note that the sauce will dry out as it cools. See the “make-ahead” question above for instructions on how best to reheat it.
Mascarpone is a mild, spreadable Italian cheese that tastes similar to cream cheese. Because mascarpone is made with heavy cream rather than milk, it tastes a little richer and creamier than traditional cream cheese. Cream cheese also has a slight tang to it, while mascarpone tastes more buttery than tangy.
Yes and no. On the one hand, soup always tastes better the next day, once the flavors have had the chance to really meld. On the other hand, rice can plump up on you the longer it sits in the liquid. If you don’t mind plumped up rice, making the soup up to a day in advance is fine. Or, make the soup in advance except for the rice, then add separately cooked rice a few minutes before serving.
Expert Tips for Making Lemon Mascarpone Pasta
Keep that reserved ½ cup of pasta water on hand during your meal. The creamy mascarpone pasta sauce dries up quickly, and you’ll want to add some of that reserved pasta liquid as you reheat the pasta for anyone who goes back for seconds.
Make sure to salt your pasta water before boiling your noodles. That really helps to add flavor to your final dish!
We recommend investing in a set of rubber-tipped tongs. These do an excellent job of tossing pasta in a skillet, without damaging the pan.
Want to pair this dish with the perfect glass of wine? Check out What Wine Goes With Pasta for great tips!
Do you have extra mascarpone in the fridge? Let us give you a few ideas for how to use it:
- use it in this delicious Strawberry Parfait with Mascarpone Cream
- mix with honey to make a sweet spread for toast or bagels or a dip for fruit
- combine with whipped cream (or use instead of whipped cream) to top a dessert
- combine with cream cheese in a cheesecake filling
- make tiramisu
- replace the cream cheese in a danish recipe, like these Cherry Puff Pastry Danishes or these Apricot Danishes
- blend into mashed potatoes
- add into the filling for sweet crêpes, like these Lemon Blueberry Crêpes
- thicken up a risotto with a dollop of mascarpone
Looking for a delicious vegetable side for this dish? Try these colorful Roasted Mini Peppers. Or toss in a batch of these Oven Roasted Red Onions. A side of Sautéed Asparagus and Mushrooms would also be perfect.
This is a lovely pasta dinner for both a regular weeknight and a special occasion like Valentine's Day. Check out more recipes in our Valentine's Day Pasta Dishes roundup. Ending your meal with these classic Italian pizzelle cookies would be a perfect match!
Other Delicious Pasta Recipes
We love easy, flavorful pasta dishes. For more deliciously creamy options, try this Boursin Cheese Pasta or this Baked Mac and Cheese recipe. You can't go wrong with this Cheesy Ground Beef Pasta or this Olive Garden Crockpot Chicken. Or check out these favorites:
If you try this Mascarpone Pasta recipe, we would love to hear from you! Please rate this recipe and leave a comment below—your feedback is invaluable to us.
And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to our newsletter. We’d love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!
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Mascarpone Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ small red onion
- 1 lemon
- 8 ounces gemelli or other pasta
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 ounces mascarpone cheese softened
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 cups arugula (about 1 ½ ounces)
- Kosher salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel and mince garlic cloves and red onion.
- Zest lemon, then squeeze one half until you have 1–2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
- Bring a large saucepan of water to boil, add a couple of teaspoons of salt, and cook pasta to al dente according to package directions. Reserve ½ cup of cooking liquid before draining.
- While pasta is cooking, sauté butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat, then add garlic and onions.
- Sauté until garlic and onions are softened, but not browned, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add mascarpone cheese and cream, stirring to melt the cheese. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens (about 5 minutes).
- Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon zest.
- Taste and add salt, pepper, and more lemon juice as needed.
- Stir in drained pasta and arugula.
- Toss until pasta is heated through, arugula is wilted, and sauce coats everything (about 1 minute).
- Serve immediately.
Notes
If pasta sits for a little while and the sauce dries out, add a little of the reserved pasta water while stirring over low heat.
Make sure to salt your pasta water before boiling your noodles. That really helps to add flavor to your final dish!
We recommend investing in a set of rubber-tipped tongs. These do an excellent job of tossing pasta in a skillet, without damaging the pan. How to Store:
Leftovers will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator, but note that the sauce will dry out as it cools. Toss with some warm water or cream, and reheat. Doing this in a skillet on the stove works best, but you can also reheat a dish of pasta in the microwave. Stop every 15 seconds or so to stir so that the pasta absorbs the new liquid and creates a creamy sauce again.
Nutrition
Instagram Users: Now that you've made this recipe, tag us @vanillabeancuisine or #vanillabeancuisine because we’d love to see your results!
More About Molly
Cooking healthy(ish) meals with seasonal ingredients is my passion. Trained as a French pastry chef, I spent over 10 years as a personal chef. Here you'll find well-tested recipes that you and your family will love!
Mimi Rippee says
Ohhhhh this is nice! I’ve used ricotta in pasta, but not marsapone! Fabulous!!!
http://Www.chefmimiblog.com
Molly Pisula says
I like that it's even creamier than ricotta!
Dayna says
I had heavy cream and mascarpone that needed to be used up so I just googled those two ingredients and I came across this recipe and just grabbed the few extra items that needed. It’s always so amazing when a couple of ingredients turn out to be one of the best meals you’ve ever had. I will definitely be making this again, but will add shrimp next time!