Creamy Lemon Pappardelle with Greens + Crispy Breadcrumbs

• 6 ounces papparadelle noodles
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil divided (1 T for breadcrumbs, 1 T for pasta)
• 1/3 cup of panko breadcrumbs
• 1 shallot finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic finely diced
• 1/2 pound bloomsdale spinach stems included and diced (or chard leaves and stems)
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest, about the zest of one lemon
• juice of 1/2 of a lemon
• 4 ounces goat cheese
• Up to 1 Cup pasta water
• Kosher Salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• Freshly grated Parm and crushed red chili flakes for serving

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• The Greens: Sub in chard stems and leaves as mentioned, or if needed, use regular spinach. If using - simply fold in spinach when tossing cooked pasta in skillet until it wilts down. Omit greens entirely if needed - the lemon and goat cheese lend great flavor on their own.
• The Cheese: Sub in ricotta for a more mild but equally creamy flavor. Use your favorite dairy-free cream cheese to keep it vegan/dairy-free - Kite Hill makes a good one.

• Bring heavily salted water to a boil. While the water comes to a boil, prepare the rest of the dish.
• In a medium sized skillet over medium heat, add butter or olive oil, panko breadcrumbs, salt and pepper, and stir to evenly combine. Cook until the breadcrumbs are slightly golden brown and toasted, and transfer breadcrumbs to a bowl.
• Wipe out the skillet you toasted the breadcrumbs in, and over medium heat add butter or olive oil, and when hot, add the diced shallot and cook until translucent and soft. Add the diced up stems from the bloomsdale spinach or chard, and cook until soft. (tender spinach from the grocery will not have stems that need chopping or additional cooking time.)
• When the stems have softened in the pan, add the diced garlic, and leafy spinach to the skillet (if you're using chard, roughly chop the leaves), and cook until the leaves have just started to wilt down. Season with salt. Turn off heat.
• When the water is boiling, add your noodles. Cook the noodles just shy of al dente, or just before they are done, as they will finish cooking in the skillet.
• Fill up a cup with the pasta water, and set it aside. Heat the skillet back up over medium heat, and add the pasta, goat cheese, lemon zest and juice, and about 1/3 cup of pasta water  Stir until everything is creamy and combined. Add more pasta water as needed to loosen up the sauce and make it creamy. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper. If you want more lemon, squeeze more fresh lemon juice from the second half of your lemon into the dish and stir.
• Divide up onto two plates, and top each plate with toasted breadcrumbs, freshly cracked black pepper, grated Parm, and crushed red chili flakes.

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