Spice up your pasta game with this super quick healthy and flavourful pasta recipe. The lemon zest and garlic give the pasta a slight kick while the asparagus provides a hint of colour and crunch. You can eat this dish by itself or add in your meat of choice for more protein. Enjoy!

Ingredients

4 SERVINGS

• 1lb. spaghetti
• 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large bunch asparagus, trimmed, thinly sliced on a deep diagonal
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 4 3"-long strips lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 8 large basil leaves
• 2 lemons, halved
• 2 oz. Parmesan, finely grated (about 1 cup), plus more for serving

Instructions

1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking liquid.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high until shimmering. Add asparagus, season with salt, and cook, stirring often, until just beginning to take on color, about 1 minute. Add garlic, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and let sit until pasta is done.
3. Add pasta and basil to the pot with asparagus mixture and return to medium-high heat. Squeeze juice from both lemons into the pot and add 2 oz. Parmesan and 1 cup reserved pasta cooking liquid. Cook, tossing vigorously and adding more pasta cooking liquid if needed until sauce is creamy and emulsified and pasta is coated, about 1 minute. Taste and season with more salt if needed. Remove and discard garlic.
4. Divide pasta among bowls, placing a lemon strip in each, and top with more Parmesan.

Recipe courtesy of Bon Appetit.