Recipe Background
It's so, so tempting to cheat on your diet, isn't it? Just a little cream sauce can't hurt, right? No, you have to stay the course! Well, Cheat-Day Penne is here to make sure you stick to your diet while still indulging your taste buds! This nourishing but delicious pasta is tender, vibrant, and cheesy, with notes of sharp and creamy feta and tangy yogurt. Throw some toasty and crunchy walnuts on top and Cheat-Day Penne becomes the cheat-day luxury that doesn't break your diet streak!
It's so, so tempting to cheat on your diet, isn't it? Just a little cream sauce can't hurt, right? No, you have to stay the course! Well, Cheat-Day Penne is here to make sure you stick to your diet while still indulging your taste buds! This nourishing but delicious pasta is tender, vibrant, and cheesy, with notes of sharp and creamy feta and tangy yogurt. Throw some toasty and crunchy walnuts on top and Cheat-Day Penne becomes the cheat-day luxury that doesn't break your diet streak!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces penne pasta
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter can substitute extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 ounces asparagus trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 large shallot thinly sliced into rounds
- 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 1 lemon finely zested, divided
- salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
- 1 (5.3-ounce) container plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup feta cheese crumbled into small pieces
- 3 tablespoons fresh dill chopped, divided
- 1/4 cup walnuts toasted, coarsely chopped, for serving
Directions
- In a large pot of salted, boiling water, add the penne and cook, while stirring occasionally, until al dente, according to the package directions.
- Reserve 2 cups of the pasta water.
- Drain the pasta.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter.
- Add the asparagus and the shallots to the hot butter and cook, while stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 1 minute.
- Add the garlic, 1/2 of the lemon zest, the salt, and the black pepper to the asparagus mixture and cook, while stirring occasionally, until the asparagus is bright green and tender and the shallots are lightly caramelized, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the asparagus mixture from the heat.
- Add the pasta, the yogurt, the feta, 2 tablespoons of the dill, and the remaining lemon zest and stir to combine.
- Add the reserved pasta water to the asparagus mixture, 1-2 tablespoons at a time, and stir to combine until the sauce reaches your desired consistency. You may not need all of the reserved pasta water.
- Season the asparagus mixture with the salt and the black pepper.
- Top the pasta mixture with the walnuts and the remaining dill.
- Serve.
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