Creamy Lemon and Spinach Pasta

Citrus season is one of my favorite times of the year. Citrus fruits are so versatile and used in a million different cuisines. However, because citrus fruits are so versatile, they often take a back seat in dishes. In this recipe, I wanted lemon to be the star of the show. 

After doing some digging, I found Barbara Kafka's Creamy Lemon Pasta and Bon Appetit's Pasta al Limon. Kafka's recipe is amazingly simple, calling for only pasta, lemon, heavy cream and salt. The Bon Appetit recipe is very similar, with the addition of butter and parmesan cheese. 

In my rendition, I decided to use Bon Appetit's base recipe, but sub in mascarpone for butter, use slightly less parmesan and add in some spinach to give the dish a bit more color and texture. The result is nothing short of delicious. 

Let me know what you think of the recipe and don't forget to follow the sustainability tips below!

Time: 20 minutes

Serves: about 6 people

Ingredients

• 1 pound of short-cut pasta (I used campanelle)

• 1/4 cup lemon juice and 1 tablespoon lemon zest from about 2 lemons

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 4 ounces mascarpone cheese

• 3 loosely packed cups of spinach from about 1 bunch

• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, or a local variety of parmesan such as Grana Padano

Steps

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. While you wait for the water to boil, prep the ingredients by zesting and juicing the lemon, washing the spinach and measuring out the other ingredients. 

2. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until very al dente, about 5 minutes. While the pasta is cooking, place a medium saucepot over medium heat. To the saucepot, add lemon zest, heavy cream and mascarpone to a medium saucepot over medium heat. Let the mixture come to a boil, whisking occasionally. Cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

3. Once the pasta is cooked, reserve about 1 cup of cooking water before straining the pasta. Add the cooked pasta and the spinach to the sauce and gently stir until the spinach wilts. Add the lemon juice and parmesan cheese and stir until just combined. Add reserved pasta water to reach your desired consistency. Serve warm and eat up!

Sustainability Tips

• Lemon and spinach: Make sure these are in season when you make this dish (late winter is perfect). This will make it easier to buy organically and as locally as possible. Buying organically and locally will ensure that your produce doesn't contribute to pesticide contamination or excessive greenhouse gas emissions during travel.

• Mascarpone and parmesan: Dairy products (like mascarpone) are generally pretty terrible for the environment so be sure to buy butter from a brand you trust. I like to buy my dairy from B Corps because they are held to high environmental and social standards. Alternatively, you could buy from a local company to cut down on greenhouse gases from transportation.