Last Friday, I spent all day doing yard work. My boys helped, but we had our work cut out for us. The winter grass needed to be mowed. We needed to rake, clean out flower beds, aerate the lawn and put down fertilizer.
It was hard work, but it laid the groundwork for a delicious and filling dinner to be enjoyed that night. While spring comes with lots of outside chores, it also comes with the pleasures of spring produce.
This dish is bright and vibrant with the fresh green vegetables and bursts of garlic and lemon. We served it with a side salad of microgreens tossed in lemon vinaigrette and some fresh bread from the Brookshire’s bakery brushed with olive oil and cracked black pepper.
Lemon Asparagus Tortellini
Ingredients:
ASPARAGUS:
1 1/2 lbs asparagus, stemmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and black pepper, to taste
TORTELLINI:
1 lb frozen cheese tortellini
3 Tbs butter
1 Tbs shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
dash of crushed red pepper
3 cups fresh spinach, packed
zest of 1 large lemon
juice of 1 large lemon
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
salt and black pepper, to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400° F. Spread asparagus on a large baking sheet, and drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle with garlic, and toss until asparagus is well-coated. Season with salt and pepper. Place pan in the oven, and roast for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring once. Remove asparagus when it is still crisp and slightly charred. Set aside to cool.
While asparagus is roasting, bring a large stockpot of water to a boil, and cook tortellini according to package instructions. Drain, but reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water. Set aside.
In the same pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add shallot, garlic, red pepper and spinach. Sauté until spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes. Add the lemon zest, and stir well to combine.
Turn heat to low. Add asparagus and tortellini to the pot, and stir in reserved pasta water and lemon juice. Heat through. Sprinkle with parmesan, and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Serves 4
Nutritional Information: Calories Per Serving: 489, Fat: 24 g (13 g Saturated Fat), Cholesterol: 75 mg, Sodium: 590 mg, Carbohydrates: 46 g, Fiber: 6 g, Sugar: 3 g, Protein: 24 g.
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