My name is Rachel and I crunch numbers and corn nuts at Casting Networks! I love cooking, especially from scratch, to get the utmost health benefits out of my food without compromising taste. This dish was something I created from my love of lemons, sunny days, and picnics! Because this dish can be served hot, it’s great for a family dinner…or if you’re more adventurous, it’s perfect for a picnic served cold. Its light, tangy taste is refreshing and delicious, and guaranteed to be unlike any other pasta you’ve had. I also made sure that this dish was well balanced—olive oil for your skin, lots of vegetables, and cheese because cheese is just downright scrumptious. For protein, meat can be added as well. I especially like this pasta after a few dives on a hot summer day!
Summer Lemon Pasta
Ingredients:
1 12oz. bag of cheese tortellini
3 large lemons
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup fresh, raw red onions (diced)
1 cup fresh tomatoes (diced)
2 cups fresh spinach
Grated parmesan to taste
Pepper to taste
Directions:
- Boil water to cook tortellini.
- While water is boiling, dice red onion and tomato. Spinach may be diced as well.
- Once water is boiled, put raw tortellini in pot and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until tortellini begins floating to the top of the pot.
- Strain tortellini—do not rinse!
- Cut lemons in half, pick out all seeds with the end of your knife.
- Put the cooked tortellini back in the pot—do not turn the stove back on! Juice the lemons in a juicer (if you have one), or squeeze lemons directly over pasta.
- Once lemons are juiced over the tortellini, lightly coat pasta with extra virgin olive oil and mix.
- Once tortellini is coated with lemon juice and olive oil, mix in red onions—stir, diced tomatoes—stir, and spinach—stir.
- You can mix in ground pepper to taste (highly recommended!), then garnish with grated parmesan cheese to taste.
Pasta can be served hot, or cold as a pasta salad. Tortellini pasta can also be substituted with other noodle types, such as angel hair, fusilli, penne, spirals, etc (preferably a large/thick pasta to catch the lemon flavor). This recipe can be kept vegetarian or meat can be added (recommend cooked chicken, diced sausage, or bacon crumbles) for extra protein and flavor!
Seminar Recap