← Blackberry Cobbler with Lemon Sugar Gruyere Creamed Spinach Au Gratin →

Lemon Basil Pasta

Posted on 07/28/2010 by Maura

I can’t believe I’ve never told you guys this story about one of my first cooking experiences.  My mom was out of town, and I took it upon myself to make my family (what I thought would be) a delicious, scrumptious dinner.  I felt like a true adult preparing dinner for the family, and I couldn’t have been more excited.

I had just bought a magazine (I think it was Self) with different celebrities’ favorite restaurant dishes.  I chose Drew Barrymore’s favorite Asparagus Soup as a first course and Courtney Cox’s favorite pasta as the main course.  In hindsight, asparagus soup was the worst choice I could have made, because for one, it involved asparagus, and two, it was puke green.  Long story short, the soup sucked.  It really sucked.  It was watery and tasted vinegary and was just pure yuck.

First course shot.

I had high hopes for the second course, as it was a pasta dish, so how bad could it really be?  Horrible is the answer.  It was horrible.  My entire dinner was thrown down the drain later that night, and my family ate chips and cookies they found lurking in the pantry for dinner.   And that, my friends, was one of my first experiences cooking dinner for my family.

Aren’t you so excited to try this recipe now?

In all honesty, this dish was amazing.  It was nothing like those two former dishes, which were obviously tested by someone with no taste buds because they were so horrible it makes me want to cry thinking about the fact I tried to get my family to eat them.  This, on the other hand, was the star of the show the other night at dinner.  I saw the Pioneer Woman made a pasta with lemon and basil and I decided I’d do the same, albeit completely differently.  This was really a winner with my family.  It tasted light and refreshing, yet was creamy and there was a subtle taste from the wine.  I served it with chicken and green beans, which complimented the meal well.

Make this for someone you love.  Enjoy!

Lemon Basil Pasta

Recipe by Maura Dieringer

Ingredients

1/2 stick butter

1/2 medium onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup white wine

1 pint heavy cream

2 tablespoons flour

salt & pepper

1/2 cup lemon juice

2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated

20 basil leaves, chopped

1 pound penne pasta, cooked and drained

Instructions

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent.  Add the garlic once the onion is cooked and stir, cooking for about a minute, being careful not to burn the garlic.

Add the white wine and cook until reduced by half.  Once reduced, add the cream and flour and whisk until the cream thickens.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the lemon juice and whisk to combine.  Stir in the Parmesan cheese and basil.  Add the cooked and drained pasta to the sauce and mix to fully coat the noodles.

Serve with grilled chicken if you wish.

Enjoy!

Recipe inspired by The Pioneer Woman

About Maura

I have a secret: I cannot do anything in moderation. I always have to take things to the extreme, at the expense of my own and my family's sanity and often times my dad’s checkbook. When I started taking horseback riding lessons, I insisted on having a pony. When I ice skated for probably the second time, I made my mom buy me ice skates that were never again worn. When I thought I wanted to be a teacher, I made my parents turn one of the rooms in the basement into a school room, stocked with an overhead projector, pull-down maps and a real, classroom-sized chalkboard and white board. When I discovered cooking I bossed my older sister around in the kitchen for an entire day, forcing her to make dozens of recipes with me against her will and then had her do all the dishes (sorry Cait). And, when I discovered food blogs I bought the biggest binder I could find, printed out 250 recipes in one day and laminated and categorized each one. My dad was not happy about the ink situation. So, what does this tell you about me? For one, you can trust that every recipe I post is more than delicious and has been meticulously tried and tested for you. Also, that I’m an anal freak. Enjoy! View all posts by Maura → This entry was posted in Dinner, Pasta, Quick & Easy Meals, vegetarian. Bookmark the permalink. ← Blackberry Cobbler with Lemon Sugar Gruyere Creamed Spinach Au Gratin →