Monday 26 March 2012

Light Lemon Pepper Asparagus Linguini

Light Lemon Pepper Asparagus Linguini

This is a revisit....or rather, a photographic revisit ;-) I've been making this for years now, it first appeared on my first vegetarian blog (with parmesan) and then on this blog back in 2009 but with such a bad photo I've since deleted the post! I'm so happy my photos have improved since then :-)

I originally based this recipe on one I found online years ago. Sadly the link seems to be no longer available so I cannot give credit but it was featured as a light low calorie pasta dish using the asparagus stalks to make the sauce instead of heavy cream and/or tons of cheese. It's a really nice light and fresh tasting pasta perfect for the upcoming asparagus season. (My most favourite season!)

You can stir in some melty mozza cheezly into it before serving for extra flavour; some nutritional yeast sprinkled in works too. I have tried both before to try and replace the parmesan that the original recipe called for....However, I personally like the simplicity of this dish without anything more added and just letting the natural lemon, pepper and asparagus flavours shine :-)


I served mine with a couple slices of garlic bread and a chilled glass of white wine - a lovely dinner.

Light Lemon Pepper Asparagus Linguini


Light Lemon Pepper Asparagus Linguini: serves 2

150 grams asparagus - tough stems removed, about 1 bunch.
1 1/2 tsp salt (don't worry - it's for the cooking water!)
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
150 grams linguini, dry weight
lots of freshly ground black pepper
fine sea salt to taste

♥ The only ingredients! ♥

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Snap tough ends off asparagus. Cut stems into 1 inch pieces and reserve tips separately. Add salt and asparagus stems to the boiling water. Cook stems until very tender, 6 - 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and refresh under cold running water. Reserve.

Add asparagus tips to boiling water and cook until just tender, 3 - 5 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and refresh under cold running water. Reserve, still keeping them separate from stems.

In a food processor, combine asparagus stems, olive oil, lemon zest and just under 1/4 cup of the cooking water. Process until smooth and set aside. Return the remaining water to the boil and add pasta and cook until almost al dente (check package instructions). Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

Return the pasta to the pot with the sauce, asparagus tips, and lots of freshly ground black pepper to taste. Cook, stirring over high heat until sauce is thickened, about 3 - 5 minutes. Add more pasta cooking water, a little at a time if sauce gets too dry. Serve immediately.

Light Lemon Pepper Asparagus Linguini


Nutritional Information: per serving

Calories: 314
Fat: 5.9g
Sat Fat: 0.9g
Fibre: 3.8g
Carbs: 55.6g
Sugar: 4g
Sodium: 612mg

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16 comments:

  1. I love your new blog look- it's so pretty! And I love your little heart-shaped pinch bowls. I see them in a lot of your posts but I've never commented on here before. The pasta looks amazing too- I might have to buy some asparagus next week!

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  2. Thanks so much Kelsey! Glad you like the new look :-) I love those little bowls too, a great cheap find!! ♥

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  3. Yay! I finally found the perfect vegan food blog! I've been in a food rut and now I'm excited to try this recipe. Thank you! <3

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  4. Aww, thanks Joy! Hope you like it :-)

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  5. Super spring recipe :)I love this idea for making a pasta sauce. I read somewhere that using a bit of pasta water also makes a sauce which clings well (due to the starch).
    Oh and I've been reading your blog in google reader so didn't see the great look before!
    One more thing...love the food diary, you're not trying to lose weight are you, just keep up with healthy eating?

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  6. This looks delish, and i love the new look. Really loving the type face for the post title.

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  7. Thanks Emma! Glad you like the food diary, it's nice to have a more casual blog than this one where I can post what I'm eating and experimenting with.

    When I started it I was keen to lose just 5 pounds (now gone) but it wasn't the reason for doing it. I put the calories up there as I count them anyway and I think sometimes with being vegan it can look like you've eaten a lot of food in a day but in actuality your calories are very reasonable (which is great!) So I thought it was important to show that :-)

    Mostly I am hoping to just eat healthier by doing it, but I'll always love my sweets!!

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  8. Thanks Rachel! Glad you like the new look :-)

    I love that typeface too but I'm a bit worried as sometimes it shows as Comic Sans before quickly switching to that one. I have no idea why it does that but now I'm worried some people are seeing Comic Sans and not the nice script I chose!! (eeek) so if anyone is seeing Comic Sans, please let me know! lol!!

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  9. Wow this founds lovely and delicious. Loving the photo..

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  10. una ricetta favolosa prendo spunto per stasera complimentissimi

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  11. Oh my your blog looks delish! Im so glad I found it!

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  12. Thanks so much everyone! Glad you found me too Jade :-)

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  13. Hello, I found your blog via The Vegan Woman blog recommendations, and I'm so glad I did! I'm really only just started out as vegan after a decade of being vegetarian, and I think your blog is going to be a great inspiration for me. I enjoyed seeing your daily food diary and am going to try out this linguini recipe this afternoon. :)

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  14. Hi Sinead! Glad you found me too :-) Hope you like the linguini, we've been making it for years now, it's simple but good!

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  15. I made this last night but using a jar of artichoke hearts in place of the asparagus. Truly delicious, thanks for sharing

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  16. Oooh, I love artichoke hearts! What a great idea :-) Cheers!

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