Baked Lemon Pasta and Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Confession:  I had an insanely delicous dinner two nights ago, and this is all I have to show for it.

I know I don’t deserve you.

However, I had come to the conclusion that the ONLY good things about Luke being gone for the evening are:

• Food that tastes distinctly like lemon
• Brussel Sprouts
• New Moon on DVD, followed immediately by
• Eclipse on DVD

And I was so wrapped up in wishing I knew some vampires that I totally forgot to photograph anything until I finally came up for breath and realized all my delicious food was gone.

It’s okay if you think I’m crazy. It’s not like I’ll notice; I obviously live in an alternate reality anyway.

Baked Lemon Pasta
(Adapted from The Pioneer Woman. Adapted, not because I thought hers wasn’t good enough, but for the convenience of using ingredients I already to avoid the store)

Ingredients
-1/2 pound spaghetti
-2 Tablespoons butter (I used Smart Balance)
-1 Tablespoon Olive OIl
-1 clove garlic, minced
-1 whole lemon, zested and sliced in half
-4 ounces Cream Cheese, softened (I used Neufchatel)
-1/2 Cup Heavy Cream (Half and Half or Milk would be fine, I’m sure!)
-1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
-Grated Cheese (Parmesan, Gruyere or Goat Cheese)
-Chopped Parsley

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook spaghetti in salted water until al dente.

In a large skillet, heat butter and olive oil over low heat. Once the butter is melted, add minced garlic. Squeeze the juice from 1/2 the lemon into the pan. Turn off heat.

Add cream cheese and cream, and stir well. The mixture won’t be totally smooth because of the cream cheese, but don’t worry about it. Add lemon zest and salt (I used pretty much all that I could get from the 1 lemon. Start out with less and add more if you want more lemon in your life). Add drained spaghetti, and stir until the pasta is well coated.

Transfer the pasta into an oven safe dish. Cover, and bake 15 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for another 7-10 minutes. Watch that the pasta doesn’t dry out!

When you remove the pasta from the oven, squeeze with a little more juice from the other half of the lemon. Top generously with shredded cheese, followed by a generous helping of parsley. Then squeeze more lemon over the top.

About Brussel Sprouts
Please, please don’t knock brussel sprouts until you have tried them recently, and tried them roasted. I know that they are famously everyone’s least favorite vegetable, but I think their bad rep is undeserved. They are earthy, mild, and have a delicious texture to sink your teeth into.

Plus, if you haven’t noticed, they are absolutely adorable. How can you not love a bowl full of miniature heads of cabbage?

So this one allows a bit of freedom. Just rinse the sprouts, cut them in half, toss them will olive oil and your choice of seasoning, and bake them on a greased cookie sheet for 15-20 minutes in a 400 degree oven, stirring once halfway through, until they are soft and have brown spots on them. You might be surprised.

Love, Kelsey May