Meyer Lemon Spaghetti with Asparagus

I am honored to have Jenna @ Eat, Live, Run as my first guest on this blog! A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu, her recipes are fantastic and simplified for home cooks. She is a contributing writer for Health.com and Tasty Kitchen, and she has a book about her culinary school experiences and favorite recipes that will be coming out next year.

So....here is Jenna. (And boy are you in for a treat!)

Hi everyone!

This is Jenna from Eat Live Run and I’m so excited to be guest posting for my friend Kay today. My parents go to the same church as Kay, and she has served as both a blessing and encouragement to me in the past months that I’ve come to know her.

I’m thrilled to be posting here today with one of my favorite light summer pasta dishes---meyer lemon spaghetti with asparagus!



If you can’t find meyer lemons, no big deal, you can totally just use regular lemons here. But be sure to taste while you cook because regular lemons are a tad more tart than their sweet meyer cousins.



This is one of those perfect weeknight “throw together” meals when it’s too hot to be standing in front of the stove and all you want to do is relax with your family. Opt for the largest, freshest asparagus you can find at your local farmer’s market or grocery store for this. You won’t regret it!


Meyer Lemon Spaghetti with Asparagus

serves 4

Print this recipe!

Ingredients:
8 oz linguine pasta
2 T extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you like it!)
juice of two large meyer lemons to equal about 1/2 cup
1 bunch asparagus, sliced
1/2 cup chopped sundried tomatoes
pinch of salt and pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
fresh parsley for serving

Directions:

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until done. When pasta is done, remove noodles with a slotted spoon, reserving boiling water. Blanch asparagus in water for thirty seconds, until bright green. Drain and reserve 1/2 cup of cooking liquid.
Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and saute for thirty seconds. Remove from the heat. Add the pasta, sundried tomatoes and asparagus to the pan and toss everything together. Pour in the lemon juice along with additional cooking water if the dish seems too dry. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the Parmesan cheese and fresh chopped parsley.

Time:

20 minutes