Fettuccine Lemoncello

5 from 1 vote

A refreshing pasta where lemon and asparagus flavours shine. You can work on the asparagus and sauce while the pasta is cooking to get this to the table in 30 minutes.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Calories: 501kcal

Author: Carolyn Hetke

Ingredients

1 pkg fettuccine or linguine (375 grams)
12 spears asparagus
6 slices prosciutto (halved lengthwise)

Sauce

2 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup sour cream low fat is fine
4 oz asiago cheese grated. Can substitute Parmesan or Gran Padano.
¼ cup lemoncello
¼ cup fresh lemon juice from 1-2 lemons. Zest one lemon before juicing.

Topping

4 Tbsps Italian parsley minced
zest of 1 lemon from juiced lemon above
1 lemon quartered
4 Tbsps panko bread crumbs toasted
sprinkle of sea salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
Put the pasta water on the stove top and bring to a boil. Cook according to manufacturer's instructions.
While water is coming to a boil, spray an oven proof dish big enough to hold the asparagus spears in a single layer.
Wash the asparagus thoroughly. Bend the bottom of the stem of the asparagus- it will snap off where the stalk goes from tender to woody. Discard the tough bottoms.
Wrap each asparagus spear in a long thin strips of prosciutto leaving a ½ inch or so of the tip exposed.
Position spears in the oven proof pan in a single layer and roast about 15 minutes.
Add the panko crumbs in an oven proof dish to the oven at the same time. Remove panko crumbs as soon as they are brown. Check them after 4 or 5 minutes. Set crumbs aside when they are browned.
Zest and juice the fresh lemon(s).
Combine the lemon zest and the minced parsley and set aside.
Heat the oil in a sacuepan and sauté garlic one minute over medium/low heat. Add the sour cream and asiago and heat til cheese is melted. Add the lemoncello and fresh lemon juice and heat through. Keep warm til ready to use.
When aspargus is done cut each spear into 1 ½" chunks. Reserve the tips to garnish the dish.
When pasta is cooked, drain it and then toss it with the warm sauce and asparagus chunks.
Divide evenly among 4 dishes. Sprinkle lemon zest and parsely mix over each dish. Garnish each dish with panko crumbs and 3 asparagus tips and a pinch of sea salt. Serve with a fresh lemon wedge.

Notes

If you don't have Lemoncello, you can omit it. You may want to increase the fresh lemon juice to bring the sauce to your desired consistency.

Wine Pairing

I would honour the Italian roots of this dish. Anything with crisp, lemon-y descriptors would work here. Pinot Grigio is an obvious option - more adventurous palates may look for a Soave, Lugana, Grillo or Friuli.

Nutrition