Description
Ina Garten’s lemon linguine blends zesty citrus with garden-fresh zucchini and aromatic basil, creating a light Mediterranean-inspired pasta. Summer flavors dance delicately on your plate, inviting refreshing comfort with each delightful forkful.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 2 medium zucchini, unpeeled, ends trimmed (about 14 ounces / 397 grams)
- ½ pound (227 grams) dried linguine
- ¼ cup (60 grams) freshly grated Italian Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
Flavoring Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
- ⅓ cup (80 milliliters) freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
- ¼ cup (15 grams) julienned fresh basil leaves
- ¼ cup (35 grams) toasted pine nuts
- 3 tablespoons (42 grams) unsalted butter, diced
Seasoning Ingredients:
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Good olive oil
Instructions
- Prepare a spacious pot with water, incorporating of kosher salt, and initiate a rolling boil over high heat.
- Transform zucchini into delicate ribbons using a mandoline, creating uniform thin strips for even cooking.
- Warm of extra-virgin olive oil in a broad sauté pan over medium temperature, gently introducing zucchini strips and sautéing for approximately 4 minutes, intermittently rotating to ensure balanced caramelization.
- When water reaches vigorous boiling point, submerge linguine and cook for 8 minutes, targeting slightly under the package’s recommended al dente duration.
- Transition pasta directly from boiling water into the zucchini pan using tongs, deliberately capturing some starchy cooking liquid.
- Incorporate lemon zest, freshly squeezed lemon juice, unsalted butter, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper into the pasta mixture.
- Reduce heat to medium-low, allowing ingredients to meld and create a silky, light sauce for approximately 2 minutes, periodically adding reserved pasta water to achieve desired consistency.
- Remove pan from heat, gently fold in freshly chopped basil leaves, finely grated Parmesan cheese, and toasted pine nuts.
- Perform final seasoning adjustment with additional salt and pepper according to personal preference.
- Plate immediately, presenting with extra Parmesan cheese alongside for optional garnishing.
Notes
- Toasting pine nuts releases their hidden nutty richness, transforming an ordinary dish into something extraordinary with just a quick pan-roasting technique.
- Adding fresh basil after removing from heat preserves its vibrant green color and intense aromatic essence, ensuring maximum flavor impact.
- Reserving pasta water acts like culinary magic, creating silky smooth sauce textures that perfectly coat every single pasta strand.
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice bursts with brighter, more intense citrus notes compared to bottled alternatives, elevating the entire recipe’s taste profile.
- Sautéing zucchini requires precise timing – 4 minutes creates tender vegetables with delightful texture, preventing the dreaded mushy consistency that ruins the dish’s appeal.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (1/4 of recipe)
- Calories: 411 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 310 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 47 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg