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Grilled Lemon Cream Pasta

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This simple Grilled Lemon Cream Pasta is an elegant side for summer entertaining, and is easy enough as a light meal by itself. Grilling your lemons not only heightens the flavor of the juice, but will also give your dish a subtle smoky charred flavor!

This post is sponsored by Hood® Cream. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the organizations and brands that make A Dish of Daily Life possible!

Keep it simple.

That’s the way I’m trying to live my life these days. I’m at the point in my life where I’m trying to downsize my “stuff.” I’m trying to accumulate memories and experiences, rather than things.

When I cook, I also try to keep it simple, both in terms of time and ingredients.  This Grilled Lemon Cream Pasta is a perfect example. With only a handful of ingredients, there’s a good chance you already have everything you need in the house. And it’s versatile too! Pair it with a salad for a light dinner. Add a grilled chicken breast if you’d like a more substantial meal. Or use it as a simple side for your summer entertaining.

You’ve probably noticed that I like cream sauces from my blog. I always use Hood® Cream products. Hood is actually one of the largest branded dairy operators in the United States and the number one dairy brand in New England. But that’s not why I use them. I use them because their quality is top notch. In fact, you’ll even find that top chefs are using Hood Cream products in their restaurants. Personally, I’ve been cooking with Hood for as long as I can remember.  I’ve tried other products every now and then over the years, but I’ve always come back to Hood. Now I don’t buy anything else and haven’t in years.

I used heavy cream in this recipe. For years, we’ve been told to limit full fat dairy in our diets because it can lead to weight gain and obesity. But cream is a healthy fat. All fats aren’t created equal…we do need fat in our diets. Interestingly enough, now there is evidence showing that people that eat more full fat dairy tend to be leaner than those who stick to low fat dairy only. Full fat dairy products fill us up quicker, preventing us from overeating. Low fat dairy products often have sugar and other additives, so when people opt for the low fat dairy over full fat, they tend to increase their sugar consumption.  I’m a definite believer that full fat dairy does have a place in our diets, and I cook with it often.

GRILLED LEMON CREAM PASTA

Have you ever tried grilling lemons? Grilling your lemons heightens the flavor of the juice, and it will also give your dish a subtle smoky charred flavor! It adds another flavor dimension to your finished dish. Take a few extra minutes and grill your lemons next time you want to make a lemon dressing for your salad or a sauce for your chicken and fish.

Grilling your lemons is something you can do ahead of time. I actually grilled a few extra lemons and saved the juice to use in other dishes. You’ll need 3 lemons for this particular recipe.

Heat up your grill. Slice your lemons in half and brush them lightly with oil. You’ll be grilling them for about 8 minutes or so. Put them on the grill cut side down first and then flip them to peel side down.

I cut the lemons both lengthwise and crosswise…I’ve heard you can get more juice from a lemon that is cut lengthwise, but honestly, it doesn’t seem to be noticeably more to me. A crosswise cut lemon does look prettier, so if you’re going to use the halves to garnish a plate for squeezing over fish or vegetables, then I would cut them crosswise. But for the Grilled Lemon Cream Pasta that you’re going to be making, how you cut them doesn’t really matter.

Remove the lemons and allow them to cool before juicing and removing all seeds.

Boil your water. Don’t forget to salt it once the water hits a rolling boil.  DO NOT skip this step. It’s important to season your pasta and to make your final dish as flavorful as it can possibly be. You should always salt your pasta water.

Follow directions on cooking your pasta to al dente – with one minor change. You’re going to cook your pasta about a minute or two less than what the directions call for. That’s because you’re going to finish cooking it in the sauce. I took a cooking class at Milk Street Cooking School in Boston, sponsored by the New England Dairy & Food Council, and I learned there that if you undercook your pasta just slightly and then allow it to finish cooking in your sauce, it will take on some of the flavor from the sauce, again resulting in a more flavorful dish. I’ve changed the way I cook pasta since then and it does make a difference!

While your pasta is cooking, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan and add your chopped shallot. Cook until it starts to soften, about 3 minutes or so. Then add the lemon zest and the heavy cream. Resist the temptation to add more cream. I know it doesn’t look like much but it’s going to be enough, I promise.

Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce it to medium, stirring frequently until it thickens, about 6 or 7 minutes. Remember every stove cooks a little differently, so don’t walk away from it.

Your pasta should be finishing it up while your sauce is thickening. Drain it, reserving ½ cup of the pasta water. Add the pasta to the cream sauce, along with the ½ cup of the pasta water. Use tongs to toss the pasta with the sauce and cook for another minute or two. Taste the pasta for doneness.

Remove the pasta from heat, then add the juice from the grilled lemons, and the chopped parsley. Toss lightly. Garnish with additional parsley, parmesan cheese and lemon zest, if you wish.

 

As you can tell, this Grilled Lemon Cream Pasta is a super simple dish! Doesn’t it look delicious?! Enjoy!

For more cream-inspired recipes, visit Hood.com.

OTHER CREAM RECIPES YOU MAY ENJOY

Now let’s get cooking!

 

Grilled Lemon Cream Pasta

Grilled Lemon Cream Pasta

Yield: 4-8, depending on if serving as a main dish or a side dish
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes

 

Ingredients

  • 1 lb linguine, reserve 1/2 cup pasta water
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • zest from 2 lemons (about 2 tablespoons)
  • 1 cup Hood Heavy Cream
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice from grilled lemons (approximately 3 lemons)
  • 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
  • Garnish: additional chopped parsley, parmesan cheese, lemon zest

Instructions

Heat up grill. Slice your lemons in half and brush them lightly with oil. Grill for approximately 8 minutes. Place them on the grill cut side down first, then flip once you have a char on the cut side.

Remove the lemons and allow them to cool before juicing and removing all seeds.

Boil your water. Salt once water hits a rolling boil, then add pasta. Subtract a minute or two off the time needed to cook pasta to al dente, and drain, reserving a ½ cup of the pasta water.

While pasta is cooking, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan and add chopped shallot. Cook until it starts to soften, about 3 minutes or so.

Add lemon zest and heavy cream.

Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce it to medium, stirring frequently until it thickens, about 6 or 7 minutes.

The pasta should be finishing it up while the sauce is thickening. Drain it, reserving ½ cup of the pasta water.

Add pasta to the cream sauce, along with the ½ cup of the pasta water. Use tongs to toss pasta with the sauce and cook for another minute or two. Taste pasta for doneness.

Remove pasta from heat, then add juice from the grilled lemons and chopped parsley. Toss lightly.

Garnish with additional parsley, parmesan cheese and lemon zest.

 

Notes

 

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 250Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 29mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 2g

 

This simple Grilled Lemon Cream Pasta is an elegant side for summer entertaining, and is easy enough for a light meal by itself. Grilling your lemons not only heightens the flavor of the juice, but will also give your dish a subtle smoky charred flavor!

 

This simple Grilled Lemon Cream Pasta is an elegant side for summer entertaining, and is easy enough for a light meal by itself. Grilling your lemons not only heightens the flavor of the juice, but will also give your dish a subtle smoky charred flavor!

This simple Grilled Lemon Cream Pasta is an elegant side for summer entertaining, and is easy enough for a light meal by itself. Grilling your lemons not only heightens the flavor of the juice, but will also give your dish a subtle smoky charred flavor!

 

Debbie

Tuesday 10th of October 2023

This recipe sounds delicious!!Have you ever made this recipe with bottled lemon juice?? It never fails when I want to make something that call for fresh lemons, I am fresh out!! I am sure the grilled lemons add a depth of flavor not possible with the bottled stuff. Just curious!! Thanks for sharing your recipe!

Janelle

Friday 24th of November 2023

Hi Debbie that is a great question! I've never tried with bottled lemon juice. However if you do, let me know how it turns out.

Mother of 3

Monday 2nd of July 2018

Interesting; I have never thought of grilling lemons but I do enjoy other fruits and citrus plants that have been grilled so I bet that adds a nice flavor. Thanks so much for sharing with us at the Summer Time Fun Linky. Pinned.

Jess

Friday 15th of June 2018

Need to make this ASAP! YUMMY!

Krista

Wednesday 6th of June 2018

This sounds so refreshing! I have to try it out for dinner soon!

Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert

Tuesday 5th of June 2018

This looks amazing! Love the lemon flavor!

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