Hopefully you are able to fit in your jeans again and Whole30 is over, and you’re back to drinking wine and eating pasta with me. I recently had a conversation with a singer friend of mine about how hard it is to lose weight when your’e a food blogger. I texted her and said “I can’t stop eating! If singing was bad for you, would you quit?” I may always have a little extra poundage, but as Oscar Wilde said, “everything in moderation, including moderation.”
But don’t worry because angel hair is like eating air or a cloud. It’s just a friendly bowl of light pasta here to bid you and your tummy well. The best thing about this recipe is the ten minutes it takes to throw together from start to finish. It’s unfussy, delicious, and everyone will love it. Just don’t burn the pine nuts like me.
Here’s how you make it!
Start by boiling a large pot of water for your pasta. Meanwhile, in a large, deep saucepan add the pine nuts over medium high heat, stirring frequently until they are lightly browned. Remove them to a separate bowl. In the same pan, add the olive oil and butter over medium low heat. Once the butter is melted, add the pepper flakes, shallot and garlic. Let this saute for a few minutes, careful not to burn the garlic. Add a pinch of salt. Remove the pot from heat for a minute or so.
Add the pasta to the water. From this point, you have three minutes to finish the sauce so the hot drained pasta can go straight in the pan. Reserve a cup of pasta water. To your saucepan (which is not on any heat), add the lemon juice and the pine nuts, stirring to combine.
Drain your pasta, and immediately add it to the saucepan. Stir to coat. Now add the arugula and cheese. If the sauce is a bit thick, add a little pasta water, a quarter cup at a time until it’s how you like it.
That’s it! A delicious dinner that comes together in ten minutes flat. My mom says this would be good with shrimp, so if you feel so inclined, add some shrimp!
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 shallots, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper
- ½ cup pine nuts
- juice of one lemon
- a pinch of salt
- 3 cups grated parmesan cheese
- 3 handfuls of fresh arugula (about 4 ounces)
- ⅔ lb of angel hair pasta
- Bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, toast the pine nuts until lightly browned. Remove them from the pan and put the pan back on the burner over medium low heat. Add the olive oil and butter. Once the butter has melted, add the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Saute for three minutes or so, careful not to burn the garlic. Add a pinch of salt. Remove the pan from heat and let it sit.
- Pour the angel hair pasta into the pot of boiling water. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water in a bowl. Boil for 3 minutes then drain.
- Add the lemon juice and pine nuts to the sauce pan. Add the drained pasta and toss everything to coat. Add the arugula and cheese and toss again. If the sauce is too thick, add a little pasta water a quarter cup at a time until it's to your liking. Serve immediately.
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