Creamy Lemon Pappardelle

I love pasta. I could pretty much eat it every single day, but somehow I found the only guy in the world that doesn't really like pasta and decided to live with him! Ha! Since he is out of town this week, I have indulged in my fair share of heaping bowls of pasta. This creamy lemon pappardelle being one of them. You can make this with any kind of noodle, but I love the look and feel of these extra wide noodles.

I like this recipe because it has simple ingredients, and it is really affordable. It is also lighter than your typical creamy pasta because it has Greek yogurt instead of heavy cream. I love the tanginess the yogurt adds to the dish, too!

I started by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cooking the pasta. Cook until al dente, and drain the pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of pasta water.

While the pasta is cooking, chop one onion into wedges. I like the larger chunks of onion because it adds texture to the dish. I heated some olive oil in a pan on medium heat, and added the onions. When caramelizing onions, thing "low and slow". It will take a while to get them that perfect color of brown, but don't rush the process or you will end up with burnt onion chunks. No bueno.

Once the onions are caramelized (takes about 10-15 minutes with occasional stirring), Add three finely minced cloves of garlic. Sautee for about 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add the juice and zest of one lemon, the arugula, Greek yogurt, and reserved pasta water. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes, or until everything is combined and heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste, and you are ready to eat! Seriously, it is THAT easy!

1. Heat large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente. Drain noodles, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water.

2. While the pasta cooks, peel and cut onion into 1-inch wedges. Add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil to pan on medium heat. Add onions and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until caramelized. Add salt to taste.

3. Add minced garlic to pan with onions, and continue to cook for 30-60 seconds.

4. Add arugula, cooked pasta, pasta water, lemon juice, lemon zest, and Greek yogurt to the pan with onions and garlic.

5. Continue to stir and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until all ingredients are heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!