Creamy Pasta With Smoked Salmon, Lemon and Asparagus
CREAMY PASTA with SMOKED SALMON, LEMON and ASPARAGUS
PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES
COOK TIME: 40 MINUTES
TOTAL TIME: 50 MINUTES
SERVINGS: 4
INGREDIENTS
INSTRUCTIONS
FOR THE ROASTED VEGETABLES
1/2 lb linguini
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup diced red onion
1 heaping cup chopped asparagus
2 cups vegetable broth
1 medium lemon, zested and juiced
1 cup of cream
1/4 cup cream cheese
4 handfuls of baby spinach
2 Tbsp capers, drained
8 oz smoked salmon, chopped
kosher salt, to taste
cracked black pepper, to taste
TO ROAST THE VEGETABLES
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, onions, and asparagus; sauté until the ingredients are fragrant and tender, about 5-7 minutes. Once the veggies are tender, transfer them to a bowl and cover the bowl and set aside.
Pour two cups of the vegetable broth into that same skillet and bring the broth to a simmer. Scrape any browned bits to deglaze the pan. Add the pasta, fully immersing it into the simmering broth, and lower the heat to medium-low. Add the fresh squeezed lemon juice.
Let the noodles simmer in the broth until they're al dente or your preference of tenderness. In general, this should take about 25 minutes. Add extra broth as needed throughout the cooking process. If you're out of broth, simply use water.
When the noodles are near done, add the milk and the cream cheese, as well as a pinch of kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Stir well to mix and melt the cheese, and keep tossing the pasta until completely coated. Once the sauce has thickened and coated the pasta, add the cooked onion/garlic/asparagus you set aside earlier to the noodles as well as the spinach, capers, lemon zest, and smoked salmon. Toss again to distribute the ingredients throughout the pasta.
Remove the pasta from the heat, cover it, and let it stand for five minutes. Season the pasta with extra salt and pepper if needed.
Serve with a lemon wedge for an extra spritz of lemon, if you'd like!