Quick Lemon Butter Pasta with Asparagus
A delicious lemon butter pasta with asparagus or any vegetable you like. A luscious buttery base with garlic, herbs and toasted pine nuts.
Servings: 2 people
Ingredients
- 200 grams dried pasta (or 300 grams fresh)
- 5 - 7 spears asparagus chopped into bite size chunks
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts toasted
- ½ cup packed fresh mint roughly chopped
- parmesan cheese to serve
For the sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic finely sliced
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (plus zest to serve)
- 70 grams cold butter cut into four cubes
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Check out the step by step photos above and short video below!
- Get a pot of well salted water on to boil and cook your pasta according to package instructions. I often undercook by a minute.
- In the last two minutes of boiling, add the asparagus pieces then drain, reserving a cup of the cooking water.
- For the sauce add the olive oil and sliced garlic to a large skillet cold. Bring to a gentle sizzle over a medium heat.
- When it has been sizzling for a minute (not browning) lower the heat slightly and add the wine and lemon juice, it will bubble up a lot.
- Cook so it is gently simmering for about 4 mins, you are wanting to reduce it down roughly by half.
- Add the butter pieces in, one at a time, letting each piece melt and whisking well in between each addition. Add the black pepper.
- You should end up with a very yellow and slightly thickened sauce at the end. If your pasta isn't ready to add just take the sauce off the heat.
- Add the drained pasta and asparagus into the sauce and toss well. Mix through the mint and pine nuts right before serving and top with the lemon zest and a MOUNTAIN of freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Video
Notes
Asparagus - Make sure you discard the woody ends before cutting. You can cook this any way you like I just like the ease of throwing it into the pasta pot.
Garlic - It might seem strange to add the garlic and olive oil cold but trust me, it infuses the flavor so much better! Also slicing the garlic rather than mincing or crushing gives a much nicer and more mild flavor.
Butter - Use salted or unsalted but you might just have to add a good pinch or two of salt if you use unsalted.
Timing - I try and time the pasta and sauce cooking so the pasta can be added straight to the sauce from the pasta water. This takes a bit of practice. If your pasta is done too soon then drain and toss with a knob of butter. If your sauce is ready too soon just take it off the heat.