Spaghetti Limone Parmeggiano Recipe

I decided to put pasta on the menu tonight because after a long day at the pool, carbs are always a good answer :)  After reading My Father's Daughter: Delicious, Easy Recipes Celebrating Family & Togetherness by Gwyneth Paltrow, I decided to try my second recipe from the book.  This recipe isn't drastically different from the previous recipe that I made. 

First, start the pasta boiling on the stove and then mix the other ingredients in a bowl.  I used already shredded parmesan cheese, olive oil, and fresh cracker black pepper.  I didn't use salt or freshly grated parmesan cheese as called for in the recipe so use what you have around the house to make a frugal friendly meal.

Juice the lemon and add it to the cheese mixture in the bowl.  I have this handy little juicer from IKEA from years ago but you can also sqeeze it by hand.  The easiest thing is to roll it on the counter to squish it a little and then squeeze upside down so that the seeds and pulp don't go into the bowl.

Cut the basil in small thin strips (recipe calls for torn pieces but I like to make it a little smaller and more evenly distributed).

Reserve a cup of pasta water before draining the pasta.  Add a little bit to the cheese mixture.  Stir the cheese mixture until everything is combined.

Mix up the pasta in the bowl with the cheese mixture until coated and looks like this.

Then serve!!!  We did it with a side of homemade garlic bread.  SUPER YUMMY summer treat.

I hope that your family enjoys this light pasta dish!!  It might be interesting with limes or other citrus fruit to flavor the pasta.  I am going to work with this recipe and see if there are any other changes that I would like to make that will become our family favorite.  Add your family's favorite veggie like the fried zucchini from the other recipe.

Here is the original recipe from the cookbook:

Spaghetti Limone Parmeggiano

¾ pound (3/4 box) spaghetti

Coarse salt

1 lemon

1 ½ c finely grated fresh parmesan cheese (about 3 ¼ oz)

½ tsp fresh ground black pepper

2 ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3-5 tbsp pasta water

Handful fresh basil leaves

Boil the spaghetti according to package directions.  Meanwhile, using a microplane, grate the zest of the lemon into a large mixing bowl.  Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the bowl (can use grater as strainer)  Add 1 ½ c parmesan, pepper and salt, mix in olive oil to form wet paste.

When the spaghetti is cooked, add 2 to 3 tbsp of cooking water to lemon and cheese mixture.  Add the spaghetti to the bowl and toss thoroughly, adding another tbsp or 2 of pasta water if necessary so that the sauce coats each strand.  Roughly tear basil leaves.

Serve with salt, pepper and extra parmesan.