Simple, delicious and elegant lemon parmesan pasta.
Running late seems to be the story of my life at this moment. The combination of early mornings, a never-ending to-do list at work, plus in the last week we had a mini heat wave in the UK.
For those who love the heat, it was excellent. For those working outside in shorts, it was brilliant. For those whose ancestors hail from slightly colder lands and spent the week in a classroom with no air conditioning wearing long sleeve shirts and trousers, it was not decisively less brilliant. There is an upside though, the opportunity to indulge in more summery foods one last time.
One night I arrived home to discover that D had decided to go to the gym after work. So it was dinner for one. I was hot and tired and didn’t have much in the fridge. What I did poses, however, was a leftover ½ lemon, part of a block of parmesan. That with some pasta is the start of a delicious meal.
To start, you boil your pasta of choice in a pot of salted water. Just before it reaches al-dente take it out. Meanwhile, heat a pan with olive oil and bit of garlic. When warm, and the garlic smells lovely, take off the heat and add the pasta. Toss to stop it from sticking and drop in some grated parmesan. Continue to toss, maybe with a splash of hot water from the pasta. Chuck onto a warm plate, squeeze over the lemon and maybe a bit of black pepper (or basil if you like).
This is such a simple dish, but as a result, you need to eat the lemon parmesan pasta as soon as it’s ready. I used the opportunity to finish off some of the last of our summer NakedWines delivery, with a cold glass of Wiley Rooster’s Molly’s Blend. Delicious.
Pairings
Drinks
Gotta bit a good crisp and cold white wine. I drank some Wiley Rooster’s Molly’s Blend from my Naked Wines delivery earlier in the summer.
Music
Italian food, good wine, give me some Bocelli.
Lemon Parmesan Pasta
Lemon Parmesan Pasta
Ingredients
- 50 g of pasta - I went for spaghetti
- 25 g shaved parmesan plus additional for sprinkling over top
- 1 TB olive oil
- ½ clove of garlic finely chopped
- Juice and zest of half a lemon
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta per the instructions in a pot of boiling salted water. Cook until just before al-dente. Strain and set aside. Don’t toss the water.
- In a frying pan, heat the oil and garlic. When the garlic is sizzling, turn off the heat and add in the pasta and the cheese. Toss to coat, and the heat will help melt the cheese.
- If needed, add a bit of the pasta water to make a more watery sauce. When ready to serve, give a good squeeze of lemon juice.
Sometimes simple food is the best food!! This pasta looks delicious! Love the lemon in there! Hope it cools off a little bit for you guys!! Cheers!
Thanks Cheyanne!
Now this sounds like a great invention, Matt! Sometimes the best meals come from just looking around the fridge and seeing what you have laying around. Lemon + parmesan definitely sounds like a great summery meal. The temps here in upstate New York just started turning cold this past week, but that won’t stop me from enjoying a few more summer meals. This one definitely needs to happen before we get buried in snow. Heck, it might happen when we’re buried in snow…just as a reminder of warm summer days. Sounds delicious, my friend! 🙂
Go on, take full advantage while you have it! Then again cold weather means delicious wintry dishes….
Simple and delicious. All you need is good quality ingredients with pasta. Love this recipe.
Totally agree. I love just tossing in some veg into fresh pasta! Gotta keep it uncomplicated.
This is my kind of dish…and my kind of music! Sounds like a perfect evening to me!! Cheers!
Awesome Annie, thank you!
That looks amazing!
I love lemon. I love its sour taste, and I love its refeshing scent as well. And that why I love your recipe!!!! Simple thing is the best!!!