Creamy Lemon Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound orecchiette
- ¾ tsp kosher salt, plus more for pasta water
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot halved and sliced thin
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 5 oz baby greens arugula, spinach, dandelion greens, kale
- 1 c heavy cream
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2½ oz. parmesan cheese grated, about 1¼ c, divided
- ½ tsp lemon zest, plus 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ c fresh basil chopped
Instructions
- Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 tbsp salt and a package of your pasta of choice (I used orecchiette). Cook stirring from time to time until pasta is al denté. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and strain the pasta.
- Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add shallot, ¼ teaspoon salt, and pepper and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add dandelion greens 1 handful at a time, and cook until greens are just wilted, 2 to 3 minutes; transfer to pot with pasta. Wipe skillet clean with paper towels.
- Bring cream and butter to simmer in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently until reduced to ¾ cup, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low, whisk in ¾ cup Parmesan, lemon zest and juice, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and cook until Parmesan is fully incorporated and sauce is smooth, about 1 minute.
- Add sauce and basil to pot with pasta and toss to combine. Adjust consistency with reserved cooking water as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing remaining ½ cup Parmesan separately.
Notes
You can use any green you’d like. I used arugula because I happened to have it on hand.
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