Whole Lemon & Tomato Pasta

Yields 2-4 servings

Cooking with an entire lemon seems like it might not work, but we were so impressed by how delicious it was! The lemon rind adds to much flavor to the dish, plus the only thing you toss are the seeds. One of our favorite content creators, @justine_snacks, inspired us with her whole lemon and zucchini dish. We took that concept and created a simple, summery pasta dish instead. Although the lemon has been cooked, it still tastes so light and fresh, with a little bit of creaminess from the butter and parmesan. It is the perfect hot weather dish, when you’ve been eating salad after salad!

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Ingredients

1.5 tbsp Olive oil, for cooking

1 Lemon, quartered, thinly sliced (seeds removed)

4 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced

3 cups Cherry tomatoes, halved

¼ to ½ cup Pasta water

¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

2 tbsp Butter

2-4 servings Dry pasta, of your choice (we used spaghetti)

Salt and black pepper

Fresh basil

Ricotta

Garlicky Parm Lil Croutons

Assembly

Step 1
Bring heavily salted water to a boil in a large pot, for the pasta.

Step 2
Meanwhile, prepare sauce. Heat a large pan over medium-low heat, and add olive oil. Add lemon slices to the pan and cook until fragrant. Add garlic and simmer with lemon until softened.

Step 3
Add tomatoes, and let simmer on medium to medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, or until jammy and tomatoes have broken down. The lemon rinds should also be soft. Stir occasionally.

Step 4
While the sauce is coming together, cook pasta according to instructions on the package. Reserve some pasta water to thin out the sauce.

Step 5
Once the lemon and tomatoes have cooked down, add the reserved pasta water, starting with ¼ cup and adding more if needed. Stir in butter, parmesan cheese, and fresh basil, until creamy and well-combined.

Step 6
Add cooked noodles to the sauce and gently toss. Season with salt and black pepper as needed.

Step 7
Right before serving, top with dollops of fresh ricotta and Garlicky Parm Lil Croutons.

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