Leek & Lemon Linguine

Name: Leek & Lemon Linguine
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 8 ounces whole-wheat linguine or spaghetti; 2 large lemons, plus lemon wedges for garnish; 1 medium leek (white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced and rinsed well; 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil; ½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided; 2 cloves garlic, crushed; ¼ teaspoon salt; ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper; ¾ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided; ¼ cup snipped fresh chives, divided

Rating: 4.27 stars

11 Ratings
7 Reviews

This simple pasta recipe has bold lemony flavor. It's nice with a salad for a light supper or serve it along with seared fish, shrimp or chicken. Vary it as you please--add a bit of crumbled goat cheese, chopped rinsed capers, shelled edamame or thin strips of yellow bell pepper.

EatingWell Test Kitchen

Source: EatingWell Magazine, January/February 2012

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Recipe Summary

total:

30 mins

Servings:

Nutrition Profile:

Nutrition Info

Directions

Step 1
Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water until just tender or according to package directions. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid and drain the pasta in a colander.

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Step 2
Meanwhile, finely grate 1 tablespoon zest (see Tip) and squeeze 1/4 cup juice from the 2 lemons; set the juice aside. Pat leek slices dry. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leek, the lemon zest, 1/4 cup parsley, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the leek is lightly browned and softened, about 6 minutes.
Step 3
Add the pasta, 1 cup of the reserved cooking liquid, the reserved lemon juice and the remaining 1/4 cup parsley to the pan. Cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid is mostly absorbed, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the remaining 1/2 cup liquid, if desired. Remove from the heat. Discard the garlic. Toss the pasta with 1/2 cup Parmesan and 2 tablespoons chives. Transfer to a serving bowl or bowls; sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan and 2 tablespoons chives and serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

Tips

Tip: When we call for citrus zest (i.e., 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest) we are referring to the finely grated outer rind (not including the white pith) of the citrus fruit. Use a microplane grater or the smallest holes of a box grater to grate the zest. In some cases we call for long strips or threads of zest. To get long strips, peel the citrus with a vegetable peeler. To remove long threads, use a 5-hole citrus zester or remove long strips of zest with a vegetable peeler, then use a knife to cut into very thin strips.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: about 1 cup

Per Serving:

313 calories; protein 13.3g; carbohydrates 49.7g; dietary fiber 7.8g; sugars 3.5g; fat 8.7g; saturated fat 3g; cholesterol 12.9mg; vitamin a iu 1281.5IU; vitamin c 22.2mg; folate 65.3mcg; calcium 180.2mg; iron 3.1mg; magnesium 98.7mg; potassium 258.5mg; sodium 429.5mg; thiamin 0.3mg.

Exchanges:

2 1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 medium-fat meat, 1 fat

Reviews (7)

Read More Reviews

11 Ratings

5 star values: 6
4 star values: 3
3 star values: 1
2 star values: 1
1 star values: 0

Reviews: Most Helpful

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pat.provost@gmail.com

01/29/2012

extremely flavourful Lemon taste really compliments the mild leek flavourand the sauce that the cooking water thickens just enough that I used the full 1.5 cups. Of course I used all the parmesan Pros: worth the time to prepare Cons: does not make enough so we had double portions Read More

Alex Brunel

04/01/2017

Tasteless I don't know why! Ended up adding twice the garlic. We were disappointed the recipe sounded so appealing. Read More

johnswife28@yahoo.com

02/06/2012

really tasty unique flavor the flavor was amazing! loved the bold lemon flavor! I was skeptical about this recipe but it really turned out great. The only thing I didn't like was the acid in the lemon made the Parmesan coagulate so the texture was a little funny but flavor was amazing. Also don't over cook the leeks otherwise they get mushy and lose some of their flavor. Pros: different Cons: the parmesan coagulated Read More

Marta M. Keller

01/13/2015

Missing Something This dish was missing something but I am not sure what. It was a nice fresh flavor but I think it needs a vegetable perhaps spinach or mushrooms. I paired this with naked Veggie Chicken cutlets (Quorn) which made a nice meal. It takes a lot of lemons to make a tablespoon of zest 4 or so. Which I didn't like since you are only using 2 Lemons for the recipe. Pros: Fresh flavor Cons: Zest was very labor intensive Read More

Salena

07/11/2021

Loved it. Served with swordfish. Suggest adding some anchovy and butter. Read More

EatingWell User

01/30/2012

Bold Lemon Flavor I loved the bold unique taste of this pasta dish. I used 12 oz. of fettuccine and there was plenty of sauce and flavor to accompany the additional noodles. Goes great with fish! Pros: Very flavorful Goes great with fish Different Cons: Takes awhile to prepare Read More

EatingWell User

08/11/2012

Great with fish Made this as described and added this strips of yellow pepper. It was delicious with marinated frozen salmon steaks I bought at Costco. Will make for a ladies' luncheon soon. Pros: Easy and versatile Read More

EatingWell User

03/19/2016

Good mood This dish was delicious and light. We made it with salmon which we put in the oven right when we started to boil the water for the pasta. By the time the pasta veggies were done the salmon was ready. The lemon added a lot of brightness and even lightened our mood! Pros: bright light healthy delicious Cons: NONE Read More

Lori Siade

01/21/2019

I love lemon and this pasta was very good. So easy to make and enjoyed the lighter texture of the whole wheat linguine. Think I might use two leeks next time and omit the parsley. Made and reviewed for the Alphabet Recipe Tag Game. Read More