Lemon Pasta with Tomatoes, Parsley and Parmesian
Lemon Pasta with Tomatoes, Parsley and Parmesian
Looking for a healthy pasta your children will eat up in seconds? This has to be it! I usually am scrambling to figure out delicious dinners during the week for my kids with minimum prep time and maximum flavor. I also don't want to spend hours doing the dishes during the week so I mustn't be using too many dishes to prep the food. But this dish was a winner! My kids kept coming back for seconds and then thirds. In fact, even though I had cooked a full pot, by the end of the evening, the pasta was all gone...so I knew it was a hit. It is also a low sodium option as I didn't add any salt, but it was packed with delicious lemony flavor. I try not to use any salt in my cooking since high blood pressure runs in my family so most of the dishes I make use other flavoring options like herbs, spices, onion, garlic, and lemon. Aside from the lemon, I love to use ingredients that are just sitting in my pantry or refrigerator with nothing to do. I had some grape tomatoes, parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic, and olive oil hanging around. I also suggest having these in your pantry for whipping up a pasta dish quickly.
Olive oil has so many health benefits and is used in the Mediterranean for cooking. Olive oil hails from the fruit of the olive tree and is a healthy monounsaturated fat that reduces inflammation and cancer. Olive oil is loaded with antioxidants that are biologically active and reduce your risk of chronic disease. Olive oil is protective against heart disease and has been linked to reducing the risk of stroke. For those with a family history of dementia, olive oil is brain-beneficial and has been shown to remove beta-amyloid plaques inside the brain. There are many reasons to add olive oil in your diet and this pasta is one of them!
Grape tomatoes are a good source of fiber and have both vitamins A & C. Grape tomatoes contain the antioxidant lycopene which protects against cancer, heart disease, and skin damage.
Parsley is a good source of folate, iron, and vitamin K. It enhances cardiovascular health, maintains blood pressure, regulates cholesterol levels, and even has microbial and diuretic properties. Parsley also adds a flavor punch to everything I make so I try and incorporate it in various dishes I make throughout the week.
In addition to parsley, grape tomatoes, and olive oil, I add lemon to this dish. Lemon is a citrus fruit that is loaded with Vitamin C and flavonoids, two potent antioxidants. Lemons are packed with flavor and make salt unnecessary. Lemons are amazing for aiding digestion, helping you lose weight, reducing inflammation, cleansing your system, and keeping your skin free of blemishes. It also gives your immune system a boost. In our old home, we had a lemon tree in our backyard. It was so practical and easy to just grab a lemon to cook with. Now, we don't have any lemon trees so I usually just ask neighbors and friends who do, for some lemons. I love adding lemons to fish, poultry, pasta, and vegetables for a flavor-packed punch.
To cook this dish, I used a large steel pot. I don't recommend ever cooking with non-stick cookware due to the amounts of chemicals used in Teflon. You can find some chemical-free pasta pots on Amazon made of this stainless steel. I would only cook with these pots. Stainless Steel Pasta Pots
First, you need to gather all your ingredients. The ingredients are few and simple, just what you have in your pantry.
Then, I would cook to Fusilli pasta according to package directions. I like to use Fusilli pasta since it soaks up all the flavors in its spirals.
Then, you will add pack the pasta and incorporate it into the sauce.
Once the tomatoes and garlic are incorporated into the pasta, you can remove it from the heat and add the parmesian and parsley! And there you have it! Your dish is done and ready to be devoured by hungry kids! I am sure they will love it! Enjoy!
Healthy, delicious and packed with flavor, I guarantee this dish will be a hit!
Ingredients:
4 tbsp olive oil
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
2 tbsp butter
2 lemons, juiced
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup parsley
2 tsp garlic powder
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain in a colander. In the same pot, add olive oil, and butter. Heat the olive oil and butter, then add the garlic and grape tomatoes. Saute for 2-3 minutes, then add the lemon juice. Add back the pasta and remove from heat. Toss the pasta into the sauce. Add the parmesan and parsley and you are done! Enjoy!
Comments
Post a Comment