MIM #7 - Baked Lemony Pasta

First off, I dropped that pound I found last week. It is gone, never to be seen again. Now, back to Menu Item Monday...

I am a pasta freak. I think I could eat pasta every day. That is why I never lasted on a low carb diet (that and my hair started falling out). I feel that I metabolize grains very quickly. I try to use healthier pastas, whole wheat or ones like Barilla Plus. This is one of my favorite pasta dishes.

Baked Lemony Pasta - serves 4
8 oz. thin spaghetti
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 lemon
3/4 cup light sour cream
1/4 teaspoon salt (or less)
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated
Cilantro, chopped (as much as you want)
Extra lemon juice (used when serving)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. In a non-stick skillet, melt butter with olive oil over low heat. When butter is melted, add the minced garlic. Add lemon juice into the pan. Remove from heat. Add the sour cream and stir until incorporated. Add lemon zest and salt. Pour mixture over drained spaghetti and mix together. Pour mixture into an oven safe baking dish.
Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes.
Remove from oven, squeeze a little extra lemon juice over it, top with Parmesan cheese and chopped cilantro.

Serve with a fresh green salad, lightly dressed. This is also good with some Italian dressing marinated grilled chicken.

The whole recipe has about 1500 calories or around 425 caloried per person (not counting salad or chicken).

I hope you enjoy this recipe from The Tortoise's Weigh.