Ready in less than 30 minutes, this Gemelli Pasta recipe is so delicious! A garlic lemon pasta recipe that will keep your family at the table for seconds!
Pour pasta into a deep pot or 4 quart dutch oven (larger if doubling). Add minced garlic and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and cook pasta according to package directions, al-dente. See notes for broccoli if adding.
When pasta is cooked, you should only have a little broth left, if too much, ladle some out and reserve. Add lemon zest and lemon juice, give it a good stir.
Add heavy cream and the spinach and artichoke hearts if using and stir to wilt, covering the top if needed.
Finally stir in the Italian parsley, reserving a little for garnish, then grated parmesan cheese, mixing it in to melt. Taste and add salt if needed.
Serve with a little chopped parsley, a lemon wedge, leftover lemon zest, a drizzle of truffle oil and shaved parmesan.
Notes
See post for loads of ad-in ideas!Serve alone for a vegetarian meal or add your favorite protein. Tips for Cooking Broccoli with PastaBroccoli takes longer to cook than the rest of the creamy pasta dish. So, here are a few tips on making your broccoli come out just the way you like it.
Crisp | Chop your broccoli into thin and smaller stalks without actually chopping it finely. Stir into pasta mixture before adding cream, cover, and allow to steam for 2-3 minutes.
Crisp Tender | With broccoli chopped smaller as above, add to noodles during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Be sure to cover.
Fork Tender | Again, chop broccoli smaller, add to noodles the entire time they cook, and be sure to keep the lid covered for the whole time.
Steaming | If preferred, steam the broccoli separate to your desired doneness, then just stir into the pasta.