Light Lemon Pepper Asparagus Linguini

This is a revisit....or rather, a photographic revisit ;-) I've been making this for years now, it first appeared on my first vegetarian blog (with parmesan) and then on this blog back in 2009 but with such a bad photo I've since deleted the post! I'm so happy my photos have improved since then :-)

I originally based this recipe on one I found online years ago. Sadly the link seems to be no longer available so I cannot give credit but it was featured as a light low calorie pasta dish using the asparagus stalks to make the sauce instead of heavy cream and/or tons of cheese. It's a really nice light and fresh tasting pasta perfect for the upcoming asparagus season. (My most favourite season!)

You can stir in some melty mozza cheezly into it before serving for extra flavour; some nutritional yeast sprinkled in works too. I have tried both before to try and replace the parmesan that the original recipe called for....However, I personally like the simplicity of this dish without anything more added and just letting the natural lemon, pepper and asparagus flavours shine :-)

I served mine with a couple slices of garlic bread and a chilled glass of white wine - a lovely dinner.

♥

Light Lemon Pepper Asparagus Linguini: serves 2

150 grams asparagus - tough stems removed, about 1 bunch.

1 1/2 tsp salt (don't worry - it's for the cooking water!)

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Zest of 1 lemon

150 grams linguini, dry weight
lots of freshly ground black pepper
fine sea salt to taste

♥ The only ingredients! ♥

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Snap tough ends off asparagus. Cut stems into 1 inch pieces and reserve tips separately. Add salt and asparagus stems to the boiling water. Cook stems until very tender, 6 - 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and refresh under cold running water. Reserve.

Add asparagus tips to boiling water and cook until just tender, 3 - 5 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and refresh under cold running water. Reserve, still keeping them separate from stems.

In a food processor, combine asparagus stems, olive oil, lemon zest and just under 1/4 cup of the cooking water. Process until smooth and set aside. Return the remaining water to the boil and add pasta and cook until almost al dente (check package instructions). Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

Return the pasta to the pot with the sauce, asparagus tips, and lots of freshly ground black pepper to taste. Cook, stirring over high heat until sauce is thickened, about 3 - 5 minutes. Add more pasta cooking water, a little at a time if sauce gets too dry. Serve immediately.

♥

Nutritional Information: per serving

Calories: 314

Fat: 5.9g

Sat Fat: 0.9g

Fibre: 3.8g

Carbs: 55.6g

Sugar: 4g

Sodium: 612mg

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