Broccoli-Lemon “Carbonara” Should Be a Weeknight Staple

Lemon pasta is one of my favorite weeknight dinners. It’s easy and delicious, and the lemony cream sauce is great with an extra serving of vegetables. I particularly like adding in asparagus, peas, and even leafy greens like spinach and arugula. Broccoli, however, is definitely my favorite.

Broccoli in a cheesy lemon pasta makes perfect sense, because broccoli is often at its best when it’s roasted and tossed with lemon and Parmesan. This dish has that same flavor profile, but in a silky, creamy sauce that tastes as good on broccoli as it does on pasta. 

The trouble with lemon pastas is that if you are not very careful,  adding lemon juice is a fast way to break a thick, bubbling cream sauce into a gloopy mess. You don’t have to worry about that with this recipe, though, because there’s no lemon juice. The lemon flavor comes from stirring freshly grated lemon zest into the mixture of eggs and Parmesan that form the basis of the sauce. It’s a light touch of lemon, not anything too strong, and the sauce is velvety and cheesy, but surprisingly light and silky. 

Purists will note that this sauce is not truly a “carbonara” sauce at all, because it does not involve any bacon or other pork products. But it uses butter in its place, and butter is both delicious and probably in your fridge at any moment, making this a superb last-minute dinner on a busy weeknight when you don’t want to go to the store. 

Get the Recipe: Broccoli Lemon Carbonara from How Sweet Eats

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