Not the prettiest pasta recipe I made. Nope. But this is by far one of the healthiest… not to mention delicious.
This pasta was made because….
a.) I haven’t had lunch yet at 2pm and I would be happy to get my teeth on anything that has carbs in it.
b.) I know I would hear something from my mother if I didn’t use up the zucchinis and lemons I have hanging out in the fridge.
c.) The pastas I kept stocked in my make-believe pantry needs to be used by May 2013. And there are four bags.
d.) All of the above.
Yes, you are most certainly right. The answer is D.
I haven’t had lunch yet and I would be happy to chow down pretty much anything at 2pm. The leftover zucchini was from the recipe below which I made the other day, the lemons were from a recipe not yet posted {hmmmnn…?} and they will be spoiled in two days time. By then, I know I would be hearing something from my mother which goes along the lines of food being wasted, money being wasted and that I’m setting a bad example for my kid{s}.
The pasta is from my pasta collection..LOL! I’ve been keeping four kinds of pasta for future recipes which I haven’t even thought of had I not seen the expiration dates. OMG. The holidays made me totally forget about it.
Honestly speaking, I think it’s nice for you to see something not neatly arranged or pretty OR clean shots of what comes out of my kitchen. You know, just to give you an idea of what my real life is.
Because the truth is, I only show you a small part of what goes on in my home kitchen. Usually it’s a shot of neatly arranged ingredients, stacks of cookies, and refreshing beverages. We seem to have an understanding. I try to make things extra pretty and wonderfully delicious for you, and hopefully you run to your kitchen and make the same things I make.
Well, I do love making food look pretty and delicious for you but sometimes I worry that all of this sets up an unrealistic standard in your mind. Maybe you’re expecting that I have some kind of a studio and that I’m some kind of a pro at this.
Nope, I am running on pure FOOD PASSION.
I take my food photos all over the house. Sometimes I do it outside of the house with the neighbors peeking in. I do it inside my bedroom with my lighting kit. And sometimes, I do it in the backyard…
That is where I took the photo of my pretty Almond Kiwi Alfalfa Salad. I didn’t eat the salad there, though. I ate it standing up….in the kitchen.
I hope that settles all matters.
Oh BTW, this creamy lemon pasta is made with yogurt.
- 12 oz. penne pasta
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tbsp. dried rosemary, finely chopped
- 1 cup maple bacon
- 1 zucchini, cut into medallions and then cut into half
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. lemon zest
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- 1 cup plain yogurt, I used nestle’s
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp splenda {optional}
- 1 tsp salt
- optional garnish: extra shredded Parmesan and/or chopped fresh parsley
- Prepare pasta al dente according to package instructions.
- Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the maple bacon to the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove bacon and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add garlic and saute until brown.
- Then add zucchini, lemon juice and zest, salt, splenda and rosemary and saute for 4-5 minutes until the zucchini is cooked but still slightly crisp. Remove skillet from heat.
- Stir in yogurt and Parmesan cheese
- Once the pasta is finished cooking, drain the pasta but reserve ¼ cup pasta water.
- Toss together the pasta, creamy vegetable mixture and the bacon.
- Add some of the reserved pasta water if needed to thin the sauce.
- Serve immediately, garnished with extra Parmesan and/or chopped fresh parsley.
Sharing this post with 
and 
and 
and 
