I harvested the end of the arugula this afternoon, and delivered bowls of Lemon Arugula Pasta to the table this evening. This is it for the season. Well, maybe I’ll plant a fall crop, if only to have this meal one more time.

Lemon Arugula Pasta is easy. It’s elemental and the arugula is home-grown. I wish we could grow lemons in Connecticut! I love lemons. I typically use Preserved Lemons when I can, but in this dish, the zest of a fresh lemon is so lively that it’s worth a trip to the store if you don’t have lemons on hand.

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Lemon Arugula Pasta

Author: melinmac

Ingredients

• 8 ounces arugula (or a combination of arugula and spinach)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup parsley
• 12 ounces penne (Barilla gluten-free)
• 1 T salt
• 4 T butter (divided)
• 1 1/2 t freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/4 t red chili flakes
• 2 anchovies
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup Pecorino cheese

Instructions

• Prep the veg – Clean the arugula, give it a rough chop, and set it aside. Grate the garlic, zest the lemon, and chop the parsley. Set aside.
• Boil the pasta – Boil the pasta according to the package instructions. Don't forget to salt the pasta water!
• Start the sauce – Sauté the black pepper and red pepper flakes in 2 T of the butter. Stir in the grated garlic and the anchovies, and continue cooking until the garlic begins to melt and the anchovies begin to break down, just a couple of minutes. Take the pan off the heat if the pasta isn't finished cooking.
• Finish – Add 1/2 cup of pasta water to the sauce and bring to a simmer. Scoop the pasta and the remaining butter into the sauce. Reduce the heat to low, and fold in the cheeses, tossing until melted. Add more pasta water if the sauce is too tight. Remove from the heat, add the arugula, and toss until the arugula is just wilted and everything is coated with the sauce. Garnish with lemon zest and parsley.

Serve more Parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper at the table along side this Lemon Arugula Penne, in case someone wants just a wee shower more of Parmesan and a couple more cranks of pepper on their bowl. Yes, please.