From the Story: Could This Be You?
This dish reminds me of the special lemon fettuccine my father used to order at his favorite Italian restaurant. I especially love the lemon tang and the smell of fresh basil. If you want to whip up something quickly for lunch or dinner, this is a lovely choice.
Lovely Lemon Fettuccine with Basil and Roasted Tomatoes (Vegan or with Cheese)
This gourmet lemon fettuccine is quite easy to make. It calls for olive oil, and the outcome will depend on the particular olive oil you use. Some olive oils are more bitter than others, and that flavor is reflected in the final dish. I recommend a milder olive oil. If you aren't into a bitter tang at the end, you may also want to reduce the lemon zest. To me this recipe is delicious as is, but it is very easy to adjust the strength of the flavors.Adding cheese as a final touch is optional. If you love cheese, can tolerate dairy, and are not vegan, this crowning step creates more complete flavor and removes some of the tanginess, while adding thickness. Either way, you cannot go wrong with this dish. The combination of tangy, sharp lemon sauce and sweet roasted baby tomatoes is exciting with or without cheese.I am a fan of almond flour pastas, and I recommend Cappello's Almond Flour Fettuccine for this recipe. Keep in mind that this fresh-frozen, handmade pasta is precooked and takes only one minute and 45 seconds to cook perfectly. The product can be difficult to find unless you look for it in the frozen section. My go-to place for it is Whole Foods, but I understand Ralphs, Gelson's, and other places carry it. You can find the location nearest you at cappellos.com.I use all fresh ingredients. I tried it with dried herbs first and didn't like it nearly as much. I also experimented with dried pasta, but it worked much better with Cappello's. (Feel free to try it with whatever pasta you like, but be careful not to use too much dried pasta because it expands and absorbs the sauce, making the dish on the drier side.) You can't beat the sweet flavors of fresh basil and roasted tomatoes or the dramatic brightness of fresh lemon zest.There is one other bonus I haven't mentioned in the recipe. To make this a complete main course, you can add shrimp.This recipe is so easy that I make just for myself and have leftovers the next day. Go ahead and make it--see for yourself. I'd like to hear what you think!
Servings 2
Ingredients
For roasted tomatoes.
- 1 cup baby cherry or baby heirloom tomatoes, halved
- ⅛ cup olive oil (I prefer a milder brand) to taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed (optional) for more zing
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped fine
Pasta.
- 1 box (9- ounce) Cappello's Almond Flour Fettuccine sold in frozen sections, precooked
For lemon sauce.
- ¼ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- ⅓ cup olive oil (I prefer the milder type)
- ½ teaspoon salt I use Himalayan sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 small fresh garlic clove, pressed
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped medium (to add to sauce)
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped medium (to sprinkle on final dish) to taste
- ½ tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (from 1 to 2 lemons) to taste
- 1 cup roasted baby cherry or baby heirloom red tomatoes, halved
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese (optional) to taste
Instructions
Prepare roasted Tomatoes.
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Lay parchment paper on cooking tray.
- In a bowl, mix the olive oil, salt, pepper, ¼ cup chopped basil, and optional lemon juice.
- Cut baby tomatoes in half.
- Add halved tomatoes to mixture of olive oil and herbs and spices.
- Mix carefully so as not to injure tomatoes.
- When mixed evenly, pour entire contents of bowel onto lined cooking tray.
- Put in oven and roast for 20 minutes. Check to see if tomatoes are becoming charred. If not, continue cooking for 5 to 10 more minutes until darkened on top. If not dark at 30 minutes, you can turn oven to broil for one minute until they are slightly or almost charred, checking so as not to let them burn or turn black. Remove from oven and let sit until time to add to fettuccine.
Lemon sauce.
- In a medium bowl add olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, ¼ cup fresh basil, salt, pepper, and garlic. Whisk together. Taste and adjust to taste with additional salt and pepper. Set aside.
Pasta.
- Boil water with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cook fettuccine according to directions on box (approximately 1 minute, 45 seconds). Do not overcook. Should be al dente. When done, drain and rinse fettuccine under cold water. Drain all water.
Assembling final dish.
- Place fettuccine in a large bowl. To this add the lemon sauce (mixed) with a large spoon, one spoonful at a time, mixing gently so as not to tear fettuccine. Repeat this step until fettuccini is covered with enough sauce to your liking. (If there is any leftover sauce, you can put it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use it within two days for more fettuccine or in other dishes as salad dressing or a marinade). Once you feel you have enough lemon sauce to cover the fettuccini, add the roasted tomatoes, carefully and gently mix, and put on individual plates. (If any of the basil is black from roasting the tomatoes, remove it before adding tomatoes to fettuccine.) If you plan to add the optional Parmesan cheese, now would be the time to sprinkle it on top in the quantity you prefer). Sprinkle the second ¼ cup of fresh basil over each serving.
Notes
Some people would go a step further and add shrimp. Depending upon what you add or delete, this highly versatile dish can serve almost any purpose as a main course or side dish.
