Lemony Pasta Primavera

When the pasta and sauce are cooked together in one pan (yes, the pasta goes in uncooked!), the resulting dish isn’t just fast and easy—it’s also incredibly creamy and luxurious. As the starch cooks out of the pasta, it mixes with the water (and other yummy ingredients) to create a sauce that clings to every strand. You’re going to wonder where this method has been all your life.

Prep time 5 minutes | Ready in 15 minutes | Serves 4 to 5

Ingredients

450-g package spaghettini
5 cups water
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
16 asparagus spears, peeled if very woody
1 cup frozen peas 1 lemon
Grated Parmesan

Directions

Place the spaghettini in a large, wide frying pan or pot. The pasta should be able to lie flat, but it doesn’t have to be in a single layer. Add the water, garlic, olive oil and salt. Turn the heat to high and stir the ingredients a bit (it will be difficult at this stage, since the pasta is uncooked).

Chop the tips off the asparagus spears and reserve. Chop the stalks into 1/2-inch pieces. Once the pan is boiling, cook about 2 minutes, stirring often, then stir in the asparagus pieces. Cook about 3 minutes, or until they are bright green. Add the tips and the peas and cook another 2 to 4 minutes, or until the pasta is just tender and the sauce clings to the strands. The whole process will take about 13 minutes. Remove from heat.

Zest the lemon over the pasta, then juice the lemon and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the juice. Stir well and serve immediately with Parmesan.

Excerpted from Dinner, Uncomplicated: Fixing a Delicious Meal Every Night of the Week by Claire Tansey. Copyright © 2020 by Claire Tansey. Photography by Suech & Beck © 2020. Reprinted by permission.