Lemon Olive Oil Pasta with Green Beans

Prep Time: 7 minutes mins

Cook Time: 13 minutes mins

Total Time: 20 minutes mins

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Italian

Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

• ▢ 8 ounces 227g pasta of choice

• ▢ ½ pound French green beans cut into 1-inch pieces*

• ▢ 1/4 cup 56g Simply Nature Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• ▢ 6 scallions sliced thinly**

• ▢ 4 garlic cloves thinly sliced

• ▢ ¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes I use ½ teaspoon

• ▢ ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

• ▢ 1 tablespoon lemon zest plus more for the end

• ▢ 3 to 4 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice

• ▢ ¼ cup 32g walnuts, finely chopped

• ▢ Freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

• Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta, but don’t use too much water (you want the pasta water to be starchy). For 8 ounces of pasta, I recommend 6 ½ to 7 cups of water (1.5-1.7 L). once the water is nearly boiling, add a generous amount of salt (2 to 3 teaspoons kosher salt).

• Add the pasta and set a time for 2 minutes before the al dente cooking time listed on the package. Once the timer goes off, ladle out about ½ cup of pasta water and add the green beans to the pot. Cook for the remaining 2 minutes, until the pasta is al dente and the beans crisp-tender. Drain the pasta and beans.

• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a 12-inch sauté pan over medium heat. Once warmed, add the green onions and garlic. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the garlic is just golden, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Add the red pepper flakes and ¾ teaspoon kosher salt and cook for 30 seconds.

• Add 1/4 cup of the pasta water to the pan and whisk to combine. Add in the hot cooked pasta and green beans, lemon zest, and 3 tablespoons lemon juice, tossing to combine with tongs. Add a bit more pasta water, as needed to bring the sauce together. Taste, adding more of the lemon juice as needed.

• Finish with the chopped walnuts and season with salt and pepper to taste, and add more lemon zest as desired.

Notes

* You can also use regular green beans, asparagus, snap peas, or broccoli. To use asparagus, cut them in the same 1-inch pieces. For snap peas, if large, cut in half; otherwise, keep whole. For broccoli, cut into small bite-sized florets.

** The dark green tops have a more pungent onion flavor and are often discarded, but if you like that flavor, keep them to minimize food waste. Just trim off the top ½ to 1 inch, or any bruised areas.

Recipe...