lemon basil pasta
with optional lemon-parm crunchies!
I’m not going to bury the lead here: My whole family inhaled this dinner. Mattis even said, and I quote, “Mom, you should write another cookbook so that this can go on the cover.” And that was even with *green stuff* AKA basil in his pasta!
I’ve had “something like pasta al limone,” AKA pasta with a creamy lemon sauce, on my WTC Ideas List for more than a year now, and the time has come to share it with you. The final perfected recipe is part pasta al limone, part spaghetti carbonara since, instead of heavy cream — which is often the move for pasta al limone — we’re making things creamy (and adding a little protein!) with an egg. It’s simple enough for a busy weeknight (it comes together in 25 minutes!), but show-stopping enough for a dinner party, and tastes like spring in a bowl.
I’m including the recipe for lemon-parm crunchies as an “optional but encouraged” topping for our lemon basil spaghetti. Don’t worry if you don’t have the time/energy to make them —the spaghetti is a total *I don’t feel like cooking* home-run dinner without the crunchies!
But on nights when you actually do kinda feel like cooking, I implore you to make the crunchies! They add the perfect salty, crunchy dimension that really puts this meal over the top, and they can be made while you wait around for your pot of water to boil.
Whether you cook them with this meal or not, bookmark the crunchies to make them as a topping for any salad — they’re excellent on a Caesar! — in lieu of croutons throughout this spring, summer, and beyond.
I love keeping this dinner vegetarian, and it’s plenty filling. On days you want to bulk it up even more though, here’s what I’d do:
Add some meat: Marinate 1 pound of peeled and deveined shrimp or 1 to 1.5 pounds of chicken breasts or thighs in store-bought (or homemade) pesto — chicken can marinate for up to 24 hours; shrimp for up to 1 hour so they don’t get mushy. Simply grill or bake them and serve over top of your pasta!
For shrimp: Bake at 400°F for 6 to 10 minutes, or until pink and opaque. To grill: Thread the marinated shrimp onto skewers (if you’re using wooden skewers, be sure to soak them in cold water for 20 or so minutes first so they don’t catch on fire!); don't pack the shrimp too tightly when threading them, they need a little breathing room. Heat your grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Once hot, cook the skewers for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until the shrimp are pink, opaque, and have some nice grill marks.
For chicken thighs: Bake at 425°F for 25 to 30 minutes, or until 165°F internally. Or grill over medium-high heat for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until cooked through.
For chicken breasts: Bake at 425°F for 15 to 20 minutes (could be up to 30 if they’re monster breasts), or until 165°F internally. Or grill over medium-high heat for 5 to 6 minutes per side, or until cooked through.
Add some crispy chickpeas: Drain, rinse, and pat dry a can of chickpeas and add them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper along with 2 tablespoons olive oil, a big pinch of kosher salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Use your hands to mix, coating all the beans in oil, then roast at 425°F for 20 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and crispy. Serve those on top of your spaghetti instead of — or in addition to! — the lemon-parm crunchies.
Add some greens: Chop up a few big handfuls of spinach and add them with the pasta and pasta water. It’ll perfectly wilt as you toss.
Add a side salad: Pick a side salad from this list and serve it with your pasta!
Lean hard into the carbonara vibes with one-pot mushroom orzo carbonara, or the lemon vibes with one-pot lemony garlic butter shrimp orzo. If you want another super-simple weeknight pasta for your back pocket, try fried egg pasta with garlicky crunchies!
Serves 4
