Try this tasty spring recipe as an alternative to your traditional pasta and red sauce. This lemony linguine is easy to make, and it’s a perfect low-budget meal.
Serve it alone as a light dinner or pair it with roasted chicken or pan-fried fish. Savory and tart all at once, you will love this delicious and delicate dish.
Whole-wheat or regular linguine both work well for this recipe. When cooking pasta, it’s usually recommended that you lightly salt the water. For this recipe, try even saltier water (a little less briny than ocean water) to really bring out the natural flavor of the pasta.
Be sure to rinse your leek carefully, pulling back the outer leaves to remove any remaining grit that may be trapped inside.
When making the lemon sauce, stir ingredients in one at a time, letting each become entirely incorporated before adding the next. This will prevent your creamy and acidic ingredients from separating.
If your lemon sauce becomes too pasty, stir in some additional hot water before adding parsley and chives to smooth out the texture.
Ingredients
1 8-oz package linguine
2 large lemons
1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 medium shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 leek, white and light-green parts only, chopped
3/4 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp lemon-pepper seasoning
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (approximately 1/2 lemon)
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped
Zest of one whole lemon
Instructions
Cook linguine al dente per the package directions, drain and set aside. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute shallots, garlic and leek in butter about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly until tender.
Reduce to medium-low heat, and stir in sour cream, 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, milk, lemon pepper, lemon juice, zest and salt and cook for 2 more minutes. Add chopped parsley and chives and cook an additional minute, then toss with linguine and add additional lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish with remaining Parmesan and parsley sprigs and serve immediately.