Creamless Lemon Cream Angel Hair

I typically don’t experience much guilt when I’m enjoying a great plate of pasta, but there is definitely something to be said about scaling back a bit – making the whole situation a bit lighter, a bit easier on the waistline. This Creamless Lemon Cream Angel Hair is a really nice way to do just that, as we will create a fantastically creamy, flavorful sauce by calling upon a beloved store-bought item, and using it in an unexpected way: hummus.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve got hummus within reach more often than not, and I’ve been playing around recently with creative ways to put it to use, flexing those inherently delicious flavors in different combinations and in unexpected circumstances. Here, we’ll use a container of roasted garlic hummus (the extra garlicky punch is built right in) and build a wonderful sauce with some starchy pasta water (a My Kitchen Little go-to technique), lemon juice, and a little ricotta cheese.

The resulting creamless sauce coats those thin strands of angel hair (or whatever cut of pasta you choose) perfectly, and if by chance your pasta seems drier than you’d like, you can simply continue to add a little pasta water until things are running smoothly, and the consistently is exactly as you like it.

Creamless Lemon Cream Angel Hair

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A simple, lighter-than-you’d-think angel hair pasta that works beautifully as a side dish, paired with a savory protein such as steak, blackened chicken or shrimp, or salmon. This sauce also works well with spaghetti squash and zucchini noodles (noodles). 

• Author: My Kitchen Little
• Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

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12 ounces angel hair pasta (or any cut you like)

Salt, for the pasta water and to taste

One 10-ounce container roasted garlic hummus

The juice and zest of one lemon (zest the lemon first, then cut it to extract juice)

1/2 cup whole milk ricotta cheese

Freshly cracked black pepper

Optional garnishes: toasted pine nuts, fresh basil, grated parmesan cheese

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Instructions

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil (it should be salty like the sea). Cook the angel hair according to package directions, reserving 2 cups of the cooking water before draining. Drain the pasta in a colander and set aside for now. 

In the same pot, add the hummus, reserved pasta water, the lemon juice and zest, and the ricotta. Stir/whisk to combine and ease everything into a smooth sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper to your liking. 

Add the pasta back into the pot and gently toss, making sure to fully coat every strand in the sauce. If it seems too dry, just add more water until the consistency is smooth and creamy. Serve topped with toasted pine nuts grated parmesan cheese, and fresh basil, if you like.