Springtime Linguine

My love affair with pasta began a long long time ago [sorry husband], and I don’t anticipate it disappearing anytime soon! Especially now that I’m in my final week of taper for my upcoming marathon, I’m carbo-loading up a storm this week!

[side note: I’ll be automatically tweeting my progress at the race on Sunday, via live runner tracking. You can follow me here if you don’t already.]

Last night was homemade fried rice, and you can bet that pasta, rice, and bread will be filling my lunchbox and plate many times this week. Yum! Even though heavy, cheesy, rich pastas are my thing, I also love light, veggie-filled delights like my new creation, Springtime Linguine. These sort of light dishes are great for carbo-loading and ensure that you don’t [gasp] get sick of pasta before your big event. Oh, the horror! Anyways. This dish is pretty simple and easily customizable. Each bite held a hint of creamy and cheesy goodness [the good stuff] as well as the tangy freshness of lemon and parsley and the nutritious stuff of veggies and protein [the good for you stuff]. I just love a meal with a wide variety of tastes and textures, don’t you? Enjoy!

Springtime Linguine

Ingredients:

1/2 pound whole wheat linguine, uncooked [or any other type of pasta]
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup cooked ham, chopped
1/2 cup peas [I used frozen]
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fat free half and half
5 tablespoons lemon zest [from 1 large lemon]
handful fresh parsley, minced [about 1/4 cup]
about 1/4 cup asiago cheese, grated
olive oil

Directions:

Cook linguine to al dente. While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil over medium heat in a small skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft. Mix in chopped ham and peas. Set aside.

When pasta is ready, drain and return to pan. Toss with a little olive oil [maybe 1-2 tablespoons] and stir in lemon juice and half and half. Toss in onion, garlic, ham, lemon zest, and parsley until well combined. Top with asiago cheese and stir until cheese melts. Serve immediately.

Click here for the printable version: Springtime Linguine

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