Penne with Lemon, Asparagus, and Cheese
Work Time: 20 Minutes
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Servings: 4
Flavorful Secret: Tangy juice and mellow zest contribute two different lemon notes to the sauce
This recipe uses an Italian trick to improve the texture of sauces: Add a bit of the pasta cooking water. It will thin the sauce without making it too watery because it contains a little binding power from the pasta's starch.
Ingredients
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| 2 | slices thick-cut bacon or pancetta, chopped (1 1/2 oz) |
| 3 | cloves garlic, sliced |
| 1/4 | C freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon) |
| 2 | tbsp fresh thyme or 2 tsp dried |
| freshly grated zest of 1 lemon | |
| 3/4 | lb penne |
| 12 | oz asparagus, cut into 1" pieces |
| 1/2 | C part-skim ricotta cheese |
| 2 | oz feta cheese, crumbled (1/3 c) |
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Put bacon and garlic in small saucepan over medium-low heat and cook until garlic is golden. Remove from heat and add lemon juice, thyme, and lemon zest. |
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Prepare penne per package directions. Four minutes before it's done, add asparagus. Remove 3/4 cup pasta water and add to bacon mixture. Drain pasta and asparagus and pour back into pot. |
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Add bacon mixture to penne along with ricotta and feta. Mix until pasta is thoroughly coated. Serve immediately. |
Nutritional Info Per Serving:
464 cal, 21 g pro, 71 g carb, 5 g fiber, 11.5 g fat, 5.5 g sat fat, 29 mg chol, 292 mg sodium