Creamy Mascarpone Cheese And Wild Arugula Pasta

I'm a big fan of NPR, always enjoyed it on the radio but my current car came with Sirius Radio which I didn't think I would use that much but my husband would have bought the car just for that.  In fact he has been swayed by a car for its stereo system before, I just wasn't that into it.  However I spend a lot of hours on the road so after the 6 months of free Sirius I was convinced to buy the subscription.........6 months free has to have been a great promotion for Sirius.  Well if you haven't heard Click and Clack you gotta check it out online, between the Boston accents and their infectious laughter it'll give you an hour of fun whether you are into cars or not.  My father in law is a huge "Prairie Home Companion" fan, we would often listen to that coming home from State College after Penn State games with him.  The NPR website is a wealth of information on all types of subjects so when I saw this article on Arugula and I had a ton of it in my refrigerator I had my dinner side dish for the night.  The recipes in this article come from Susan Russo who is a contributor to "Kitchen Window" and her blog Food Blogga  is a great find for new ideas, especially after a visit to a farmers market.   This pasta recipe is really simple, easy, quick and for me could have been the whole meal. A good meal if you are home alone and you'll have some to reheat the next day---maybe.

Link for NPR article:
Fresh, Feisty Arugula:  More Than a Salad Green

Creamy Mascarpone Cheese And Wild Arugula Pasta

Ingredients:

1/2 lb spiral pasta  (Barilla Plus  my favorite)

3 oz mascarpone cheese (I used 6 oz)

zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

2 T pasta water  (I used 1/4 cup)

3 c packed arugula

4 T fresh grated parmigiana cheese (I stirred some into the pasta also)

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

extra olive oil for drizzling

Directions:

In a large pot, cook pasta in salted water till al dente.

Meanwhile in small bowl whisk mascarpone cheese, lemon zest & juice, salt & pepper, and hot pasta water until smooth and creamy.

Drain pasta, add back to pot with arugula and toss.  

Add cheese mixture and toss till coated.

Divide onto plates, top with grated parmigiana, red pepper flakes, and drizzle of olive oil if desired.

I add a bit of grated lemon zest on top
with the cheese and red pepper flakes.

Served it with Tilapia sprinkled with Old
Bay on Spinach.