Lemon Spaghetti Recipe
Do you ever crave a lighter version of your classic spaghetti dinner? Skip the meatballs and red sauce and instead brighten dinnertime up with a zesty and creamy lemon spaghetti. This dish from recipe developer and health coach, Miriam Hahn, is the perfect solution. Hahn likes to make this dish "in the spring, when my lemon tree is full of lemons. It is nice and light, but so creamy and delicious it leans towards comfort food, too." That's exactly what we are looking for.
Hahn notes "I like to serve this when I want something elegant-tasting that is quick and easy. It is nice for dinner, but also fun for a girls' lunch or book club." If you need a little protein on this dish, Hahn recommends that you add salmon or chicken either cooked and added right into the dish, or served on top.
So if you're ready to switch things up, let's get cooking!
Gather your ingredients for lemon spaghetti
To make this lemon spaghetti, we need to start by gathering our ingredients. For this recipe, we will need spaghetti noodles, lemon zest, crushed garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, grated Parmesan cheese, and freshly chopped basil.
Boil the pasta
The first step in this simple recipe involves boiling the spaghetti noodles. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add in the spaghetti noodles. Cook according to the package directions. Drain and place the noodles back in the hot pot and set it aside.
Create the lemon dressing
Now, we can create the zingy lemon dressing. In a small bowl, add the lemon zest from two lemons, the crushed garlic, the lemon juice, the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Give this mixture a good stir with a spoon or whisk.
Add the dressing, cheese, and basil to the pasta
Pour the lemon dressing over the pasta. Add the grated Parmesan cheese and ¼ cup chopped basil. Using tongs, mix to combine and fully coat the spaghetti noodles with the dressing. Once you're ready to dive in, sprinkle the remaining chopped basil on top of each serving.
- 8 ounces spaghetti
- 2 lemons, zested
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- ½ cup lemon juice
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ⅔ cup Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup fresh basil, chopped, divided
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions.
- Mix the lemon zest, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
- Drain the cooked pasta and put it back in the pot.
- Add the lemon dressing, Parmesan cheese, and ¼ cup basil. Stir to combine.
- Use the reserved basil to top the pasta right before serving.
| Calories per Serving | 646 |
| Total Fat | 33.9 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9.0 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 22.5 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 64.7 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3.8 g |
| Total Sugars | 4.3 g |
| Sodium | 505.7 mg |
| Protein | 22.5 g |
