A Lemon Lovers Meal

I've been meaning to try this lemon spaghetti recipe for a while now, and it wasn't until I was about to make it, did I realize I was missing something - the basil! So I substituted parsley and added dried basil, and it was a great way to help use up my bag of lemons. I added grilled chicken and served it with some steamed broccoli that was seasoned with garlic salt and a lemon/orange pepper blend seasoning.

This was such a simple, fresh and easy dinner that you can feel good about. I wish I had made the whole recipe so there would have been leftovers!

Grilled Herbed Chicken

1 lb chicken breasts

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp dried Italian seasoning

2 tbsp fresh parsley, roughly chopped

2 tsp lemon juice

Heat grill to medium high heat. Flatten chicken if it is thick to about 1/2" thickness, so it will grill faster and absorb the marinade a little better.

In a bowl, mix all the above ingredients, and add to a ziploc bag along with the chicken. Let chicken marinate in the fridge for at least an hour. Remove, grill for about 6 minutes per side, or until done, slice and serve on top of the pasta.

Lemon Spaghetti

Giada De Laurentiis/Food Network

Prep Time:10 min

Cook Time:8 min
Level:Easy

Serves: 6 servings

Ingredients:

*I cut everything in half, except for the fresh herbs

1 pound spaghetti I used whole wheat thin spaghetti
2/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves I used parsley

I added 2 tsp dried basil

Directions :

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the oil, Parmesan, and lemon juice in a large bowl to blend.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with the lemon sauce, and the reserved cooking liquid, adding 1/4 cup at a time as needed to moisten. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with lemon zest and chopped basil.