Creamy Lemon Spaghetti

Something about the warmer weather in LA recently made this lemon pasta a huge hit. I encourage you to buy a high quality, organic, gluten free spaghetti like Jovial’s organic brown rice spaghetti – they taste better and they’re much better for you than other heavily processed pastas! I love that this recipe also incorporates one of my all-time favorite vegetables: asparagus! Asparagus, like other green vegetables, is high in antioxidants. These include vitamin E, vitamin C and glutathione, as well as various flavonoids and polyphenols. I love how the lemon blends with the vegan parmesan, and of course, the basil on top is the perfect finishing touch!

Ingredients

Serves 4

1 lb. spaghetti
2/3 cup organic extra virgin olive oil
1 large bunch of asparagus, trimmed, and thinly sliced on a deep diagonal
4 garlic cloves, smashed
4 3″ long strips of lemon zest
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
8 large basil leaves
2 lemons, halved
2 oz/ freshly grated vegan parmesan (plus more for serving)

Directions

1. Cook your pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally until al dente.
2. Drain pasta, reserving 1 1/2 cups of the pasta water.
3. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the asparagus, season with salt, and cook, stirring often until just beginning to take on color (about 1 minute).
4. Add garlic, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
5. Remove from the heat and let this mixture sit until the pasta is done.
6. Add the pasta and basil to a pot with asparagus mixture and return to medium-high heat. Squeeze juice from both lemons into a pot and add 2 oz. of parmesan and 1 cup of the pasta water.
7. Cook, tossing vigorously and adding more pasta water if needed, until sauce is creamy and emulsified and pasta is coated (this takes about 1 minute).
8. Taste and season with more salt if needed. Remove and discard the garlic.
9. Divide the pasta among serving bowls, placing a strip of lemon zest in each. Top with basil and parmesan!