Spaghetti al limone recipe

Lemony spaghetti with asparagus and smooth emulsified sauce

Posted 2022-09-29

Time

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 450g spaghetti
• 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large bunch asparagus, trimmed, thinly sliced on a deep diagonal
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 4 3”-long strips of lemon zest
• 0.5 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 8 large basil leaves
• 2 lemons, halved
• 60g parmesan, finely grated, plus more for serving

Method

1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat until shimmering.
3. Add asparagus, season with salt.
4. Cook, stirring often, until just beginning to take on colour, about 1 minute.
5. Add garlic, lemon zest and red pepper flakes.
6. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
7. Remove from heat and let sit until pasta is done.
8. Once pasta is al dente, drain, saving the pasta water (or use tongs to move pasta into the asparagus pan).
9. Add the pasta to the asparagus pan, and add the basil.
10. Return the pan to a medium-high heat.
11. Squeeze juice from both lemons into the pan, add the 60g parmesan and 1 cup of the reserved pasta water.
12. Cook, tossing vigorously and adding more pasta water if needed, until sauce is creamy and emulsified and pasta is coated, about 1 minute.
13. Taste and season with more salt if needed.
14. Remove and discard garlic.
15. Serve the pasta. Place a lemon strip on each and top with more parmesan.

Source

• Bon Appétit - Lemony Asparagus Pasta

Verdict

• Really tasty even though I forgot the basil and swapped in lime zest! Also added some mushrooms with the asparagus because there wasn’t enough