Lemon. Butter. Garlic. And pasta.
My, oh my, this dish was good.
I was out surfing the recipe filled interwebs looking for a pasta side dish when I came across this one from MagnoliaDays.com. I think the image that Renee posted of her pretty flower shaped pasta is what caught my eye. Then…one by one…each and every ingredient sounded so delicious, I could have started drooling. {Seriously, I’m nine months pregnant. So I’m allowed, right?} Although I do have to say, I have never been a fan of cooking with nuts. I don’t even like them in ice cream because it angers my ‘texture buds.’ But we decided to try the recipe with the pine nuts and my goodness I am SO.HAPPY.WE.DID. The toasty flavor and the added crunch gave the dish the extra ‘oomph’ it didn’t even really need! I loved, loved, loved this dish and plan to make it many more times again! {Pine nuts are crazy expensive. I highly recommend purchasing them from local grocers who sell foods in bulk (Sprouts and Whole Foods). That way you’re only paying for what you need right now.}
Pasta with Lemon Butter Garlic Sauce
Yield 4-6 servings
Recipe closely adapted from Renee at MagnoliaDays.com.
Ingredients
- 1 pound gemelli {or whatever pasta you prefer}
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves {minced}
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- grated zest from 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 ounce spinach leaves {about 3 cups}
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts {or however many you can afford, ha!}
- grated Parmesan cheese for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Cook the pasta according to its package instructions. Drain it once it’s finished and set it aside.
- In the same large pot over medium heat, melt the butter and cook it for 1 to 2 minutes. {If you want browned butter, cook it until it has a light brown color.}
- Add the garlic and thyme and stir. Cook it until it’s fragrant, about 1 minute, just be careful not to over-brown the butter or garlic.
- Remove the pot from the heat and add the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt. Stir it all to combine.
- Add the pasta, spinach, and pine nuts and toss it all to coat with the sauce. Keep mixing it so that the spinach wilts.
- Top the pasta with grated Parmesan cheese and serve right away while it’s warm!
