Linguine in Lemon Cream Sauce

Cover recipe from Vegetarian Times,  September 2010
Linguine in Lemon Cream Sauce
The theme of the current Vegetarian Times magazine this month is “Healthy Comfort Food.”  Its’ always reassuring to see this sort of thing as we begin to approach the cooler months.  They’re featuring “cooking with apples,” “secrets to homemade hummus,” and “ten 5-ingredient pasta dinners.”  The cover recipe is one of those 5 ingredient dinners, and it takes less than 30 minutes to prepare.  The Veg Times folks are determined to show home cooks that while noodles and jarred sauce are pretty easy to whip up, you can just as easily make something more memorable.   They go so far as to say that the flavor combinations they’re sharing in this month’s magazine are enticing entrees that you’d be proud to serve at a dinner party.  Read below to see what I thought of the linguine cover recipe.

Other pasta recipes included in the magazine:  Rotelle w/ Tomato-Tofu Carbonara & Fresh Basil, Orecchiette w/ Gorgonzola & Walnuts, Casareccia w/ Zucchini & Fresh Basil, Pappardelle w/ Artichokes & Arugula, Orzo Lentil Pilaf w/ Feta, Spaghetti w/ Fresh Tomato Sauce, and Farfalle w/ Caramelized Onions and Broccoli.

Linguine in Lemon Cream Sauce
Source:  Vegetarian Times, September 2010

ingredients:
8 ounces dry linguine
1/2 cup light cream cheese
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lemon, juiced and 1 Tbsp. zest grated
1/2 cup chopped parsley

instructions:
1.  Cook linguine according to package directions in pot of boiling, salted water.
2.  Warm cream cheese, oil and 2 Tbsp. lemon juice in saucepan over low heat.
3.  Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking water.  Stir reserved cooking water into cream cheese mixture.  Add pasta, lemon zest, and parsley; toss to coat.  Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

nutritional information (per 1 cup serving):  calories 343, protein 11g, total fat 14g (5g sat), carb 45g, cholesterol 21mg, sodium 294mg, fiber 2g, sugars 4g

Serves:  4

Notes from Culinary Covers:
*You know how sometimes a recipe says it’s going to take less than 30 minutes but it really takes much longer?  This recipe is true to its word.  It was easy to make and took very little time to put together.
*Since the recipe instructed to juice the whole lemon, I ended up putting the juice from the whole lemon in my sauce.  It ended up to be a bit lemony, which my 9 year old informed me.  I’m guessing if you only put the 2 Tbsp. of lemon juice in the sauce that it will be just perfect.
*One complaint- too much parsley.  A couple of Tablespoons (rather than 1/2 cup) would be plenty.
*You can get 4 fairly generous servings out of this dish.  Serve it up with a hearty salad (and maybe bread) and everyone will be happy.

Did this recipe deserve the cover spotlight?  Yes!  It was a smashing success in our house.  We all enjoyed, and I thought it was a good example of healthy comfort food– that takes less than 30 minutes to prepare.

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Tagged as: pasta recipes, vegetarian times