Spelt Garlic Scape Pasta with Lemon turns the short garlic scape season into a fast weeknight dinner. Garlic scapes get a quick sauté until they turn bright green and slightly blistered, then get tossed with spelt pasta, lemon, and parmesan.
Garlic scapes taste like a milder, greener cousin of garlic, with a texture close to thin asparagus. Cooked briefly, they lose their raw sharpness and turn sweet.
Spelt pasta holds its shape well and carries a slight nutty flavor that works with the lemon and toasted pine nuts here. The whole dish comes together in about 30 minutes, using one pot for the pasta and one skillet for the scapes.
I make this in early summer when scapes show up at the farmers market for a short window. If you can’t find them, thin asparagus or scallions are the closest stand-in.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Uses garlic scapes before their short season ends
- Ready in about 30 minutes start to finish
- One skillet for scapes, one pot for pasta
- Spelt pasta adds a nutty bite and holds sauce well
Ingredient Notes
- spelt pasta: Spelt pasta holds its bite well and has a nutty flavor. Whole wheat pasta works as a substitute if spelt isn’t available.
- garlic scapes: Pick firm, bright green scapes without yellow tips, since they taste milder than garlic cloves. Thin asparagus can stand in if scapes aren’t in season.
- lemon: Use both zest and juice for balanced acidity without overwhelming the garlic scapes.
- parmesan: Adds salt and savory depth. Pecorino works too, or a plant-based hard cheese to keep the dish dairy-free.
- pine nuts: Toast them briefly for a nuttier crunch. Walnuts or sunflower seeds work as a substitute.
- olive oil: This oil is central to the sauce here, so use a good extra-virgin one.
Simple Spelt Pasta with Garlic Scapes and Lemon
Description
Chopped garlic scapes get sautéed until blistered, then tossed with spelt pasta, lemon zest and juice, parmesan, and toasted pine nuts for a quick early-summer dinner.
Ingredients
For the pasta
For the garlic scape sauce
Instructions
- Bring a 6-quart / 5.7 L pasta pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spelt pasta and cook according to package directions, about 9 to 11 minutes, until al dente.
- While the pasta cooks, trim the tough ends off the garlic scapes and chop them into 2 cm pieces.
- Toast the pine nuts in a 12-inch / 30 cm skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often, until light golden. Transfer to a small bowl.
- Add the olive oil to the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped garlic scapes and red pepper flakes, and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until bright green and lightly blistered.
- Reserve 120 ml of pasta water, then drain the pasta.
- Add the drained pasta to the skillet with the garlic scapes. Add the lemon zest and half the reserved pasta water, tossing to combine.
- Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the lemon juice and parmesan, adding more reserved pasta water as needed until the sauce coats the pasta.
- Season with salt and black pepper. Divide among bowls and top with the toasted pine nuts and extra parmesan.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 4
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 657kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 24g37%
- Saturated Fat 6g30%
- Cholesterol 9mg3%
- Sodium 480mg20%
- Potassium 220mg7%
- Total Carbohydrate 61g21%
- Dietary Fiber 8g32%
- Sugars 2g
- Protein 18g36%
- Vitamin A 150 IU
- Vitamin C 8 mg
- Calcium 140 mg
- Iron 2.5 mg
- Vitamin E 2 mg
- Vitamin K 10 mcg
- Thiamin 0.3 mg
- Riboflavin 0.15 mg
- Niacin 4 mg
- Vitamin B6 0.2 mg
- Folate 34 mcg
- Vitamin B12 0.1 mcg
- Phosphorus 300 mg
- Magnesium 110 mg
- Zinc 2 mg
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
Additional Notes
- Reserve pasta water before draining, you'll need it to loosen the sauce.
- Cook garlic scapes just until bright green, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Toast pine nuts separately from the scapes to avoid burning them.
- Use a vegetarian hard cheese instead of parmesan if needed.
