Yield: 4 people
Lemon Penne Pasta
Vibrant lemon, garlic sauce with fresh spring greens and parmesan - this lemon penne pasta is the perfect easy weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 box penne pasta
- 1 lemon, juice
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 large bunch swiss chard, roughly chopped
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese, shredded, plus more for garnish
- fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook 10 oz penne until al dente, according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain noodles.
- Make the sauce. Heat extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 large yellow onion, diced, until very soft and golden brown on the edges, about 10 minutes. Add in 5 cloves minced garlic and ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in 1 bunch chopped Swiss chard and cook until it begins to wilt, about 2 minutes.
- Combine everything. Add pasta, 1 tablespoon butter, and ½ cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss to coat noodles. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon fine sea salt and ½ cup grated Parmesan , then toss to mix. Slowly drizzle in as much of the remaining ½ cup of the reserved pasta water needed so the noodles are evenly coated with sauce.
- Serve and enjoy! Serve pasta with protein of your choice! I served mine with pan seared chicken thighs. Top with fresh parsley and more parmesan.
Notes
- This lemon penne pasta is best served hot with fresh parsley and more parmesan cheese.
- Serve with protein of your choice for a perfectly balanced dinner! I like serving mine with pan seared chicken thighs or wild caught salmon.
- For the swiss chard, cut leaves from the stalks and chop.
- To make this lemon penne pasta gluten free you can use gluten free pasta noodles of your choice, making sure not to overcook them (gf noodles can quickly become mushy).
- To make this dairy free, omit the parmesan cheese.
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