I've found the ultimate brunch for the person who tends to prefer the lunch side of brunch. Inspired by a dish from Nellcote's old brunch menu, I created Creamy Parmesan Pasta with a Poached Egg. It's fresh pasta tossed in a parmesan cream sauce with a touch of lemon, topped with a runny poached egg. This is a sophisticated meal that takes just 15 minutes to prepare. While I think it is a perfect Sunday brunch, it would make a quick weeknight dinner too.
Before you start thinking that it is odd to top a pasta dish with an egg, let me explain why this works. The creamy Parmesan sauce is simple and used to lightly dress the pasta, the runny egg yolk adds a richness and depth of flavor. It takes the meal from good to incredible. This is one of those recipes that isn't overly complicated and each ingredient plays an important role. I definitely recommend using fresh pasta instead of dried pasta for this recipe. The fresh pasta has a brighter flavor and compliments the lemon juice and Parmesan, it gives more life to the meal.
Creamy Parmesan Pasta with a Poached Egg
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons Butter
- ¼ cup Heavy Cream
- 5 tablespoons Parmesan
- 2 tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
- Salt and Pepper
- 6 ounces Fresh Linguine or similar
- 2 Eggs
- 2 tablespoons Vinegar
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
- While the water is coming to a boil, melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Then whisk in the cream. Then whisk in the lemon juice, and add 4 tablespoons of Parmesan.
- Let the sauce come to a steady simmer, stirring frequently. The sauce will thicken and become slightly golden in color. At this point, reduce heat to low.
- Poach the eggs next. Add 2 inches of water to a skillet, the vinegar and bring to a slow boil. Then crack an egg into a small bowl – make sure the yolk does not break. Once the water has boiled, gently lower the egg into the water. If the egg white spreads out too much you can pull it back together with a spoon. Repeat adding the second egg to the pan. After 2 minutes carefully make sure that the egg is not stuck to the bottom of the pan and roll the egg over. Cook for 3-4 minutes total, until the white is fully cooked.
- While the eggs are cooking, add the pasta to the boiling water. Cook for 2 minutes, or until al dente. Before you drain the pasta, remove 3 tablespoons of the water from the pot and whisk it into the sauce. This pasta water will help bind the sauce to the pasta.
- Drain the pasta, warm the sauce up over medium heat, add the pasta, and cook the pasta in the sauce for 1 minute.
- Plate the pasta, add a poached egg on top, and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan. Serve immediately.
- *I added a sprinkle of dried parsley to add a bit of color to the photos.
Looking for more quick and easy vegetarian pasta recipes? Here are a few of my favorites:
This White Wine Pasta Skillet involves cooking spaghetti in an entire bottle of white wine. The wine flavor is complimented by mushrooms, shallots, tomatoes, spinach, and Parmesan. The generous amount of mushrooms in this recipe make for a hearty filling dinner.
You can make this Goat Cheese and Vegetable Pasta in just 30 minutes, and you can customize it by adding your favorite vegetables.
Did you know that you can cook pasta in a store-bought tomato bisque to create a sauce? This Veggie Pasta Bake will show you how.
Roasted Garlic, Goat Cheese, and Tomato Pasta combines a rich and creamy garlic flavored goat cheese sauce with tomatoes and fresh pasta. I love the bold fresh flavors of this pasta dish.
