Easy saffron, lemon and butter tagliolini pasta recipe

In this beautiful saffron lemon and butter pasta recipe, fresh tagliolini ribbons are paired with an easy sauce of melted butter, saffron, lemon zest, parmigiano cheese and cream. Originally from Umbria, this is a divine creamy saffron pasta that turns a quick weeknight dinner into a special occasion. 

Saffron from Umbria.

Umbria is one of a number of Italian regions where saffron is cultivated. Most of Italy’s saffron is grown in Sardinia, but farmers in Abruzzo, Tuscany and Umbria have grown this exotic spice since Medieval times.  In Umbria nowadays, saffron cultivation can be found in Citta della Pieve, Cascia, Spoleto and Gubbio. These are all municipalities in the Perugia Province. 

Città della Pieve is famous as the birthplace of the artist Perugino, Umbria’s most important 15th century painter. Perugino apparently used saffron to create the yellow for his paintings. Saffron production had faded away in this area but in recent years has reemerged and is expanding. 

Between the 13th and 16th centuries, saffron farming was an important industry in Cascia, partly due to the spice’s medicinal properties. However, it died out here too until 1999 when saffron production was reintroduced. The same story is more or less true of saffron production in Spoleto and Gubbio.

Saffron in the Umbrian kitchen

As you can imagine Umbrians use saffron in a number of local recipes. These include biscuits called tozzetti (similar to cantucci), in breads and cakes, in polenta and risotto, in meat dishes and, of course in pasta and gnocchi sauce.

You can also find types of pasta made with saffron in the dough. Umbria is also famous for its cultivation of legumes. There are traditional dishes that pair legumes with saffron as well.

Ingredients for this saffron, lemon and butter pasta.

As mentioned above, this is an easy recipe which calls for a very simple sauce made with butter, lemon zest, saffron, cream and Parmigiano.

For the sauce.

The saffron: You can use either saffron powder or threads to make this sauce. Saffron is an expensive spice but a little goes a very long way. I used a sachet of just 0.1g of saffron powder dissolved in a little water.

If using threads, you will need the same weight of 0.1g which is equivalent to not more than 30 threads or ½ a teaspoon. The threads need to be soaked in warm water for about 15-20 minutes.

Cooks tip: The most common mistake home cooks make when using saffron isn’t buying low quality or fake saffron, it’s using too much. More saffron isn’t better. After a small amount, saffron changes from a floral and warm flavor into something that tastes medicinal and bitter. So, don’t be tempted to add more than the amount given in the recipe instructions.

The butter: Here in Italy, unsalted butter is the norm for all recipes. If you use salted butter, it’s best to lessen the amount of salt you add to the pasta cooking water or to season the dish.

Lemons: Because this tagliolini recipe calls for lemon zest, it’s better to use lemons with edible peel. This means untreated, unwaxed lemons, preferably organic.  

Cooks tip: If you only have waxed lemons, you can remove the wax by immersing the lemons in hot water for 5 minutes and then remove the wax using a brush or cloth.

Cream: I used fresh single cream in this recipe. For a richer sauce, use double or heavy cream. 

Parmigiano: Grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese helps thicken the sauce and adds a lovely nutty and buttery flavor. However, Italian Parmigiano isn’t vegetarian as it’s made with animal rennet. To make this recipe 100% vegetarian, use a hard cheese made with vegetable or microbial rennet such as vegetarian parmesan cheese.

The best pasta for saffron sauce.

Fresh egg pasta ribbons are the best choice for a saffron sauce. This pasta is very absorbent and takes in the beautiful sunshine yellow of the saffron, as well as the flavor.

The Umbrian recipe I followed calls for tagliolini. These fine egg ribbons are narrower than tagliatelle. Here in Italy, we can buy ready made fresh tagliolini, which is what I used. You can also use dried tagliolini or even make your own by following my homemade tagliatelle recipe and cutting the ribbons finer. Alternatively, use tagliatelle or fettuccine.

Step by step instructions.

Prep: Put a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta, add salt once it starts to boil and bring to a boil again. In the meantime, soak the saffron threads in warm water for 15-20 minutes or dissolve the saffron powder in warm water.

Step 1) Melt two thirds of the butter in a large skillet big enough to hold the pasta. Add the zest of one organic lemon and some lemon juice. Once you can smell the lemon’s aroma, add the saffron water. Let this simmer on a very low heat while you cook the pasta.

Step 2) Cook the tagliolini until it’s al dente (usually 2-3 minutes for fresh pasta). Then, save some of the cooking water and drain. Add the pasta to the saffron sauce and start to toss it together very quickly so the saffron colours all the pasta ribbons.

Step 3) Add the cream and mix everything together again and then add the grated cheese and the remaining butter. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper as required.

Keep tossing the pasta gently over a very low heat until the butter and cheese have melted. If the sauce seems dry, you can pour in some of the pasta cooking water or more cream.

Step 4) Serve immediately with some fresh basil or fresh parsley (optional), more lemon zest and more grated cheese if required.

What to do with leftovers.

This saffron, lemon and butter pasta is best eaten when just cooked. However, if you do have leftovers, you can keep them in the fridge in an airtight container for a couple of days.

Reheat in the microwave with some added butter or fry the leftovers in butter until the pasta starts to get a little crispy. The latter is my favorite way to enjoy leftovers of this recipe. I don’t recommend freezing leftovers.

Let me know what you think.

I call this recipe sunshine pasta because of the beautiful yellow color of the pasta ribbons after they are mixed with the saffron, lemon and butter sauce! This is such an easy recipe to make and takes just 30 minutes from start to finish. Perfect for a weeknight dinner or special occasion, this is a recipe worth trying!

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear how it turns out. Please write a comment here on the blog, email me or post a comment on the Pasta Project Facebook page.

Your feedback is really appreciated!

Buon Appetito!

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Other pasta recipes with saffron to try.

• Pasta with zucchini flowers, saffron and ham
• Creamy spaghetti with saffron and pancetta
• Sausage and saffron pasta alla Monzese
• Prawn saffron linguine
• Pasta with saffron and zucchini
• Malloreddus with sausage, tomatoes and saffron