Hi everyone, Emerald here with another recipe for you!

Today we’re teaming up with Banza to make some pasta al limone (lemony pasta) with peas and asparagus. It’s a really awesome springtime dish and it comes together in just under half an hour. I love it because it’s super creamy from using lots of Parmesan, but it doesn’t feel heavy at all since there’s that really nice and bright citrus cutting through it.

You can use any pasta you have on hand, but I highly recommend using Banza spaghetti—this gluten-free, chickpea-based pasta has the perfect al dente texture and tastes so good too!

Let’s get started!

Banza Pasta al Limone

Makes 4 servings

What You’ll Need:

1 lemon
1 small onion, finely chopped
6 ounces asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup frozen peas
1 box Banza spaghetti (or other pasta)
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
3 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup torn basil leaves
Salt and pepper

What To Do:

Using a vegetable peeler, shave three 2-inch strips of zest from the lemon. Very thinly slice each strip lengthwise into strands. Using a zester or microplane, finely zest the remainder of the lemon into a small bowl. Halve the lemon squeeze all of its juice into a small bowl. Set everything aside.

Bring a large pot of heavily-salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook, stirring occasionally, until very al dente (1-2 minutes less than recommended cook time on package).

While pasta cooks, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, season with salt, and cook until translucent, 2-3 minutes. Toss in asparagus and peas, season with more salt, and cook until asparagus turns bright green, 1-2 minutes. Add finely-zested lemon zest and red pepper flakes (if using) and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Reduce heat to low.

Using tongs, remove cooked spaghetti from water and add to pot with veggies. Scoop up 1½ cups pasta cooking water and add to other pot along with the butter. Toss until butter melts and a creamy, emulsified sauce forms. Add Parmesan a little at a time and toss until melted and sauce is clingy, about 3 minutes. If mixture looks dry, stir in another 1–2 tablespoons pasta cooking water.

Stir in reserved lemon juice and basil leaves. Season with more salt if needed. Divide pasta between bowls. Season with pepper and top with lemon zest strands.

Watch me make this recipe in the video below: