Do you guys ever feel like you have about 15 million more things on your to-do list every day than you can possibly do? Yeah, that’s where I am right now. Like I mentioned earlier this week, my family and I just got home from vacation on Monday and then today, Sara and I are heading to Dallas for a speaking engagement. I literally haven’t unpacked my vacation suitcase yet, let alone packed my work suitcase. We’re feverishly putting final touches and turning in final edits on our next book. Yesterday, I literally changed out of my pajama pants into real pants (and by “real pants,” I mean yoga pants) so I could pay my daughter’s dance tuition. Right now, all I want to do is paint my front door, make yummy food, put together a baby crib, plant flowers, and take a nap, but that will have to wait until after next weekend.
I’m not complaining–I’m grateful for our opportunities, and honestly, I’d rather be busy than not busy. But simple things like dinner are also stressing me out. I’m sick of eating out, I don’t have a huge appetite, and I don’t have a lot of time on my hands, so I guess I’m kind of in the mood for fancy-ish comfort food. That’s easy. And not horrible for me. Not a terribly tall order, right? Yeah, right.
I kind of threw this together using my favorite Alfredo sauce and some fresh produce I had in my fridge. And it ended up being so so so so good. SO good. I kind of wish I’d thrown a few shrimp sauteed in the lemon olive oil, but even still, it was one of the best things I’d eaten in a long time.
To get started, break the tough ends off of a pound of asparagus and thickly slice about 3-4 cups of whole mushrooms.
Preheat your oven to 400. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and set it aside.
Using a fine grater or Microplane, zest 2 lemons (or enough to get 1 tablespoon lemon zest). Juice the 2 lemons (or enough to get about 1/4 cup of lemon juice)…
Add 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 4-5 cloves minced garlic, 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon Creole or coarse-grain mustard, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.
Whisk the mixture together and then toss it with the mushrooms and asparagus. Spread the veggies onto the prepared baking sheet and roast it in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until the veggies are tender but not mushy. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 5-10 minutes.
While the veggies are roasting, cook 8 ounces linguine in salted water al dente and prepare a batch of Guiltless Alfredo Sauce. After you add the Parmesan cheese, add the lemon zest. You can either portion out the pasta, sauce, and veggies into individual servings or toss it all together. Serves 6-8.
Roasted Asparagus and Mushroom Pasta in Lemon-Cream Sauce
Recipe by Our Best Bites
1 lb. asparagus, tough ends snapped off
3-4 cups whole mushrooms, thickly sliced
5-6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/4 cup strained lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon Creole or coarse-grain mustard
8 ounces uncooked linguine
1 recipe Guiltless Alfredo Sauce
Optional: Grilled chicken breast or sauteed shrimp
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine trimmed asparagus and sliced mushrooms. Zest the lemons (enough to get 1 tablespoon of zest) and set the zest aside.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and mustard. Drizzle over the veggies and toss to combine. Spread the veggies out onto the prepared baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes or until the asparagus is tender but not mushy. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5-10 minutes.
While the veggies are roasting, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and, when the water is ready, cook pasta al dente. Prepare the Alfredo sauce. After you’ve added the cheese, add the reserved lemon zest to the sauce. When the asparagus and mushrooms are done roasting, you can either portion out the pasta, veggies, and sauce into individual servings or toss it all together. Serves 6-8.
