Entrée

Lemony Veggie Pasta

Posted by iavogoodmeal on

Does the internet need another pasta recipe? When it’s this easy and delicious, the answer is a resounding YES. We made this for the first time last summer when we had odds and ends of summer produce that needed to be used up. It was one of those sticky hot summer days and the idea of a very saucy/heavy pasta was not appealing – and thus this was born.

This pasta is light and refreshing, lemony and fresh. And very customizable with whatever veggies you have on hand. My favorite combo is zucchini, asparagus and snap peas but we’ve also tried it with broccoli and mushrooms and it’s just as good. The flavors themselves are super simple to let the vegetables shine on their own.

Tips & Tricks

  • This is an all season veggie pasta but I especially like it with in-season produce so feel free to alter the veggie mix as needed
  • I’m not one to recommend pasta shapes, I feel like that’s chosen by the heart BUT I really feel like the rotini works in this one as it gets the lemon zest and oil in the nooks and crannies
  • We’ve recently been loving the Barilla protein pasta – it has some added oomph of pea protein but still keeps the chew of regular pasta unlike red lentil pasta that tastes totally different (at least according to Karthik!)

Recipe Information

  • Prep time: 20 min
  • Cook time: 20 min
  • Yield: 4-6 entrée servings

Ingredients

  • 1/2 onion diced
  • 2 jalapeños de-seeded and diced
  • 1 zucchini sliced
  • 1 yellow squash sliced
  • 1 cup snap peas
  • 1/2 red pepper diced
  • 1 bunch asparagus diced into short spears
  • 2 tbsp Lemon juice
  • Zest of 1 lemon (optional)
  • Lemon olive oil for finishing
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • Salt/Pepper to taste
  • 1.5 cups pasta of choice – reserve pasta water

Directions

  1. Sauté onions and jalapeños with paprika, salt and pepper for 5-7 minutes till soft
  2. Add in zucchini, yellow squash and red pepper and cook on medium heat covered till soft
  3. Two in asparagus and snap peas and cook for a couple minutes (not too long as you want them to still stay snappy!)
  4. Squeeze lemon juice and add zest (if using) and add in cooked pasta
  5. Thin out sauce with some reserved pasta water if needed
  6. Stir to combine and finish with lemon olive oil