Menu
  • Home
  • Copyright
  • Contact

Feast on the Cheap

Entertaining Recipes for the Budget Gourmet

  • twitter-bird2-square-webtreatsetc-150x150
  • rss-cube-webtreatsetc-150x150
  • facebook-logo-square-webtreatsetc-150x150
  • pinterest-square150
  • 3d-transparent-glass-instagram-icon
  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • Well-Stocked
  • Links
  • Home
  • About Mary Anne and Mariel
  • Copyright
  • Links
  • Recipe Index
  • Well-Stocked
  • Contact

Meyer Lemon Pasta with Fresh Herbs, Shallots and Toasted Walnuts

February 16, 2012 by Mariel Goodson 20 Comments

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email

Mariel here. I’m a creature of habit. I wake up at the same time everyday – 7:45 – whether it’s a weekend or a weekday; I always kick-start the morning with a big bowl of berries and cereal; and the Today Show eases me into my routine before hitting the road for a run with two groggy dogs. I actually love the Today Show’s cooking segments since they generally tend towards the effortless, and on Monday, they spotlighted a chef whose name is escaping me to drum up a last-minute Valentine’s Day dinner.

While my V-Day plans were on lock – my husband prudently made a reservation MONTHS ago at Alta – I made a mental note of the pasta recipe they whipped up on-air. It was brimming with juicy Meyer lemons (which are a bit sweeter and subtler than their tart cousins) along with a heaping mound of fresh herbs and jumbo lump crab. This is good mood food.

Since I don’t generally keep a lot of shellfish on-hand – what with the high price tag and dwindling “sell-by” date – I decided to add a little protein via toasted walnuts; pine nuts and parmesan would also work beautifully. The Today Show’s on-air chef noted that this bright, zesty pasta makes a great starter or, as I found, a lighter lunch, since it’s the kind of dish that doesn’t leave you rolling in pain after eating your weight in durum wheat. Although, to be honest, I did test the limits by eating both servings.

This is the perfect spring dish and remarkably healthy (particularly if you use whole grain pasta) and it can serve a bigger brood since it doubles or triples effortlessly. Added bonus: it whips up in well under 30 minutes yet it’s definitely guest-worthy, especially if said guest just returned from some fancy European vacay.

Print This Recipe Print This Recipe

Meyer Lemon Pasta with Fresh Herbs and Toasted Walnuts
Serves 2

Ingredients:
Pasta – $2.19
½-cup of reserved pasta water
1 extra large shallot, finely diced (I whipped out my Slap-Chop for this recipe) – $0.33
2 large cloves of garlic, minced – stock
1 Tablespoon butter – stock
1 Tablespoon olive oil – stock
Zest of 1 Meyer lemon (remember, you only want the waxy top layer of brightly colored skin, once you get down to light yellow, switch sections, that stuff is bitter) – $0.54
Juice of 1 Meyer lemon or approximately ¼-cup’s worth – calculated above
Ground black pepper – stock
Salt, to taste – stock
Small handful of FRESH herbs, I used curly parsley, tarragon and chives, finely chopped (but this combo can be adapted easily) – $3.50
½-cup of walnuts toasted (you can do this in the toaster oven or in a dry skillet, toast until just fragrant but avoid burning) – stock
Grand total assuming well-stocked kitchen: $6.56
Cost per serving: $3.28

Directions:
1. Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Once pasta has finished cooking, reserve about ½ a cup of the starchy pasta water.

2. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over high heat. Once the butter has melted, reduce heat to medium-low and add the shallots and garlic. Saute one minute, stirring continuously, then reduce heat even further to low. Continue sauteeing for about 5 minutes, or until shallots are soft and fragrant.

3. Add the black pepper, lemon zest and and lemon juice. Continue to cook over low heat, stirring frequently, for one minute.

4. Add the reserved pasta water, increase heat to medium-low, and cook for about one minute. Toss in the pasta, mixing well. Taste and add salt as desired (remember, there’s salt in the pasta water)

5. Remove from heat and toss with chopped herbs and garnish with toasted walnuts.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email

Filed Under: Entrees, Last-Minute Meals, Pasta, Recipe Index, Recipes Under $10, Starters, Vegetarian Tagged With: cooking, food, healthy, lunch, Pasta, recipes, Recipes Under $10, starters, vegetarian

About Mariel Goodson

The daughter in this mother-daughter duo, Mariel is the co-founder of Brass Hill Design and a former magazine writer who has contributed to Martha Stewart Living, Better Homes & Gardens, SELF, Redbook and Good Housekeeping, among many others.

Comments

  1. Blog is the New Black says

    February 16, 2012 at 8:15 am

    Ladies, this looks SO fresh and delicious!

    Reply
  2. Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe says

    February 16, 2012 at 10:35 am

    What a lovely and simple meal! I have a box of quinoa pasta sitting in my pantry – it would work great with this for an extra protein kick! And I love that you said “spring” – we are far from it here, but it has a nice ring to it. 😉

    Reply
  3. Maria says

    February 16, 2012 at 11:16 am

    Great pasta dish! Love Meyer lemons!

    Reply
  4. Agnes Lepore Alibertp says

    February 16, 2012 at 7:59 pm

    Great lenten recipe. Thanks, M & M !xxxooo

    Reply
  5. ea-the spicy rd says

    February 16, 2012 at 11:58 pm

    Looks fabulous! I recently made a kale pasta salad with a lemon vinagrette that was delicious. I have a tree full of ripening Meyers lemons right now, so I’ll definitely have to try this out!

    Reply
  6. Jeanette says

    February 17, 2012 at 12:57 am

    Love the idea of a light pasta to brighten up the mood this time of year!

    Reply
  7. parenting articles says

    February 17, 2012 at 4:49 am

    yum!

    Reply
  8. Mandy - The Complete Cook Book says

    February 17, 2012 at 6:11 am

    What a fabulously fresh and unique pasta dish.
    🙂 Mandy

    Reply
  9. Barbara | Creative Culinary says

    February 17, 2012 at 10:46 am

    This may be considered a side dish for many but for me, it’s the ideal main course and I can ‘almost’ taste it now. What is there not to love…and the addition of Meyer lemons is perfect.

    Reply
  10. DessertForTwo says

    February 17, 2012 at 5:36 pm

    I love that this serves two!
    Also, we’ve been loving these light pastas.
    I’ve been making one from Giada that has lemon olive oil (or just grate lemon zest into your olive oil), sauteed red onion, fresh oregano and Parmesan. Lovely!

    Reply
  11. Norma Chang says

    February 17, 2012 at 8:44 pm

    A delightful pasta dish to serve any time but would make a great light summer meal.

    Reply
  12. Lana @ Never Enough Thyme says

    February 17, 2012 at 8:51 pm

    Wonderful recipe! And how lucky am I to still have a couple of Meyer lemons on my tree.

    Reply
  13. Rhonda says

    February 17, 2012 at 11:06 pm

    I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I love all things citrus, especially lemony. You are always posting tempting recipes…how will I ever stick to my diet if you keep this up?

    Reply
  14. gas grills says

    February 19, 2012 at 9:06 pm

    Cool blog!

    Reply
  15. Gloria says

    February 20, 2012 at 12:48 am

    I love the simplicity and freshness of this dish. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  16. DLCS says

    February 20, 2012 at 7:40 am

    Looks lovely!

    Reply
  17. Miss @ Miss in the Kitchen says

    March 1, 2012 at 9:05 pm

    I must make this! Lemon spaghetti is my absolute favorite. I really love the addition of the walnuts. AMAZING!

    Reply
  18. Laura says

    March 2, 2012 at 1:43 am

    this sounds very fresh & fantastic. glad i found your blog ladies. I’m a pinterest import.

    Reply
  19. Home with Mandy says

    March 20, 2012 at 7:02 pm

    Wow! What a beautiful photo. This is my kind of cooking (and eating), lovely recipe!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Apple Chips {Secret Recipe Club} | Creative Kitchen says:
    January 13, 2016 at 9:11 pm

    […] these asian chicken salad tartlet caught my eye. Along with these shrimp po’ boys and this meyer lemon pasta. And they are still on my list. But in the end….these apple chips won out. We’re on Day […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

bio5

MEET MARY ANNE & MARIEL:

A mother-daughter duo starring a professional caterer and a fledgling foodie.

Subscribe by Email


Enter your email address:

As Seen In

Archives

Categories

Top Posts

  • Passover Pot Roast
  • Tuscan Sausage Soup with Shell Pasta, Spinach & White Beans
  • Orange-Mango Upside-Down Cake
  • Hungarian Mushroom Soup
  • Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel

Pages

  • About Mary Anne and Mariel
  • Contact
  • Copyright
  • Links
  • Recipe Index
  • Well-Stocked

Follow Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • StumbleUpon
  • RSS Subscription

Latest Posts

Grilled Watermelon with Goat Cheese and Crispy Pancetta

Slow-Roasted Soy-Glazed Beef with Fresh Tomatoes, Onions & Cilantro

Holiday Wishlist for the Design Obsessed

Copyright © 2023 · Feast on The Cheap · Built By VarickDesign

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.