I bet you never thought pasta could be refreshing, but this dish has a secret ingredient that lightens up the pasta, making it the perfect meal on a warm spring day.

Ingredients

1. Pasta

2. Fresh greens (I used baby spinach and mustard greens from my first garden harvest of the year, but you can substitute kale, arugula, or asparagus)

3. Garlic (or shallots or both)

4. Lemon (the magic ingredient)

5. Butter (or olive oil)

6. Salt

7. Red Pepper Flakes

8. Radish (or another garnish, like parsley)

9. Cheese

Instructions

Boil salted water for pasta and cook pasta until al dente. Save 1-2 cups of the pasta water for the sauce.

In a separate pan, heat butter and lots of garlic until fragrant. Sprinkle on some salt and red pepper flakes. Squeeze a whole lemon and add the pasta water to make a light sauce. Cook for a couple of minutes until bubbly. Reduce heat, add cooked pasta and stir in a huge bowl of cleaned fresh greens until greens are barely wilted.

Serve with an extra dash of pepper flakes, some grated cheese (cheddar or parm), and garnish with fresh radishes.