New York Times recipe: Creamy, lemony pasta
This 15-minute pasta lets you decide how much effort to put in: If you’ve had a day and need an easy, no-nonsense meal, then make it as-is and use kitchen shears to cut your spring onions. If you’re feeling slightly more ambitious, then make a topping that adds texture, vibrant green colour and more lemony flavour to the dish (see tip). But don’t cut corners when it comes to the yogurt: Use a thick, strained whole-milk yogurt like labneh, Greek or skyr, as it will give the finished dish an irresistibly rich and tangy taste.
Ingredients:
Salt flakes and black pepper
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.500g short curly pasta, such as cavatappi, fusilli or farfalle
1 large lemon, zested and juiced (about 1 tbsp zest and 3 tbsp juice)
A heaping ¾ cup grated Parmesan, plus more as needed
¼ cup labneh or other thick, strained whole-milk yogurt, such as Greek or skyr, drained if necessary
2 spring onions, green and white parts, sliced
Preparation:
Step 1 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, adjust the heat to maintain a gentle boil, and cook until just shy of al dente, 2 to 3 minutes less than the package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water. Drain the pasta, then return to the pot on the stove over medium-low heat.
Step 2 Stir in ¾ cup of the pasta water and half the lemon juice. Add several grinds of black pepper, then gradually add the Parmesan, stirring vigorously between additions to prevent clumping, until a silky sauce has formed. Add a tablespoon of water at a time as needed to make a creamier sauce if it looks dry. Stir in the labneh, remaining lemon juice, lemon zest and spring onions until creamy and combined, about 1 minute more. Season with salt as needed. Finish with another grind of pepper and serve immediately.
TIP:
To make a lemony spring onion topping, combine 4 sliced spring onions with 1/4 cup coriander leaves and stems roughly chopped or torn, the juice of half a lemon and a pinch or two of salt. Serve over the finished pasta.
Serves 4
Total time: 15 minutes
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
© 2022 The New York Times Company
Originally published on The New York Times
