Dani's Corner

Dani Spies is a Health & Food Coach and Fitness Trainer who enjoys finding simple and d'lishes ways to incorporate nutritious ingredients into an everyday kitchen.More »

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Leek and Lemon Pasta - VIDEO

Even though I am in Los Angeles and my Mom is in New Jersey, I still wanted to come up with a Mother's Day meal.  It's kind of like a virtual Mother's day meal.  This is what I would make if my family and I were all spending Mother's day together.

Everybody in my family loves pasta, so I decided to pair up some leeks and lemons to come up with this fresh, d'lishes pasta dish.  This is an extremely quick and simple meal to make!

If you wanted to bring another layer to the dish I think some grilled shrimp would be perfect.

Oh and one more thing to keep in mind, this dish does really well at room temperature so it would make for a nice addition to a brunch buffet.

Happy Mother's Day Mom!  I love you - xo!

Leek and Lemon Pasta - VIDEO

Ingredients

  • ½ lb whole wheat spaghetti
  • 4 leeks cut into ½ moons
  • ¼ cup of grated Parmesan cheese
  • ¼ cup of veggie broth
  • ¼ cup of fresh lemon juice
  • Zest from 1 lemon
  • ½ cup of reserved pasta water
  • 1/3 cup of sliced basil
  • 1 ½ tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
Serves 2-4.

Directions

*Cook pasta according to package and don't forget to reserve a ½ cup of the pasta water.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat.  Add leeks and a pinch of salt.  Allow the leeks to cook for about five-eight minutes or until they are nice and tender.  You don’t want the leeks to brown, you want them to sweat...this means they'll get begin to release all of there liquid and become tender and translucent. If they look like they are browning simply lower your heat.

Once your leeks are looking good stir in veggie broth and lemon juice.  Bring the leek mixture to a simmer before adding in your pasta.

Stir in pasta water, lemon juice, cheese and basil.  Combine everything together.  Adjust seasonings and enjoy!!

Comments

Absolutely divine, Dani! I made this (minus a lot of the oil -because it didn't need it) for friends last night, served with a huge salad on the side, and it was a huge hit. Thanks for a great new recipe!

Sandy - I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks for the feedback!

Anonymous :

Wow this dish was awesome i made it last night for dinner and it was great!5 stars

Kay :

Thank you Dani for this dish. I used parm cheese out of the bottle. I found it to be very strong. I had to add more lemon. Is that why you chose fresh? Anyway I loved the dish.

Kay - I have always preferred fresh...I'm not sure if the bottled cheese is stronger. Either way...I'm glad you enjoyed the dish:).

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