- brown some chopped garlic on pan with olive oil and italian seasoning, s&p.
- add whichever shape pasta (sometimes i do this with orzo instead of like penne), one squeezed lemon‘s juice, and not too much boiling water (enough so that it cooks the pasta, but also so it evaporates by the end)
- when the pasta’s just before al dente, and there’s just a little pasta water left, i add double cream and emulsify, let it cook for a bit.
- turn off heat and toss in grated parmesan, parsley (or basil) (or fresh thyme), and lemon zest.
tasty, zesty and fresh but doesn’t take much time or effort! takes abt as long as ur pasta takes to boil + a few mins for chopping the garlic.
otherwise, i have sauces like napolitana or pesto sauce made in large amounts, so all i have to do is boil some pasta for them throughout the week. or, an even quicker one is if ur groceries sell fresh egg noodles and chopped veg, just add some teriyaki sauce and that’s it)