Fresh and Easy Lemon Pasta – the perfect dish to bring to your summer cookout or any get-together!
Confession – I love salt. I do. Too much. Soy sauce – don’t even get me started (I wish I could put it on everything, but I feel I might be judged… as a I should be) I fell in love with this recipe, which I initially learned from my mother-in-law, because of the lovely combination of the fresh, tart flavor of the lemon and the bite of the salt. I have taken her recipe and adapted it to make it my own and it has become a staple at our household. Every get-together I end up making this and it is ALWAYS a hit… even with the kiddos! Sometimes, when we are in the mood for a meatless meal, this is it. Other times, we pair it with some grilled chicken – this salad rocks. Did I mention even my kids like it??
To start, I suggest spraying your green onions and lemon with a vinegar/water to ensure everything is as clean as possible. This is particularly important with the lemons as we will be using the zest of the lemon.
As your bow-tie pasta is boiling, you can zest your two lemons and cut up your green onion, dividing it into white onion parts and green leafy parts. Then, juice your two lemons into a separate bowl and get your best olive oil ready.
As you can see, a glass of nice white wine also goes nicely with this 🙂 Once your pasta is done boiling and perfectly al-dente, pour it into a strainer and immediately rinse it with cold water to stop the cooking process. Then, pour some olive oil (about a Tablespoon) over it, to avoid sticking. Then pour into a bowl and mix with olive oil, the juice of two lemons, kosher salt, the zest of two lemons, green onions and parmesan cheese. You can dig in right away (I think it is impossible not to) but this recipe is even better if is sits for a bit in the refrigerator as the salt and lemon are able to meld together for a couple hours or even over night. If you do put it in the fridge for a bit, you will probably want to add some additional olive oil before you serve it.
I know here in Minnesota it is slowly getting colder and colder, which usually translates into making heavier meals – making something light and fresh can be a nice juxtaposition and maybe helps us keep the spirit of summer alive just a little bit longer!!!
Updated: 5-15-16
I make this recipe all the time, so here is a quick re-shoot trying a different set-up.
Please let me know if you like the recipe! I have a lot of things planned for upcoming posts, so stay tuned! Thanks for visiting!
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Love,
E
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Prep Time:
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PinIngredients
- 1 box bow-tie pasta
- 2 lemons
- 1 bunch green onions
- 3/4 cup coarsely grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
Instructions
- Bring pot of water to boil. Add 1 box of bow tie pasta. Cook until al-dente. Pour into strainer and immediately rinse with cold water. Drain again. Pour 1 Tablespoon of olive oil on top and toss to coat.
- While pasta is cooking, spray green onions and lemons with vinegar/water and then rinse completely. Zest both lemons. Finely chop zest and set aside. Cut lemons in half and juice both into separate bowl.
- Chop green onion. You will need approximately 1/4 cup of the white onion part and 1/4 cup of the green leafy part.
- Pour pasta into serving bowl or storage bowl. Add zest, lemon juice, olive oil, green onion, salt (I would start with 1Tablespoon and save the extra 1 teaspoon to add per your likeness – I like it salty) and parmesan cheese. Toss. Serve and garnish with extra green onion, parmesan cheese and/or lemon zest.
- You may need to add additional olive after the pasta has set for a while as it will be soaked up. Add additional salt, to taste, as well.
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