Nothing says spring like a pollen covered car. It’s the sign that spring has sprung, that new life is blossoming, and that light, yet flavorful meals are a comforting dinner. My new standby pasta dish? Thanks to Pioneer Woman? Fits the bill perfectly. I mean, seriously, what says spring like lemon? And when you combine that with a bit of garlic and toss with some pasta? It’s not going to disappoint.

You see, one of my favorite movies is Julie & Julia. At the beginning of the movie, Julie arrives home from a stressful day at work and begins whipping up a Chocolate Cream Pie. She says:

“You know what I love about cooking? I love that after a day when nothing is sure, you can come home and absolutely know that if you add egg yolks to chocolate and sugar and milk it will get thick. It’s such a comfort.”

Well, this dish serves as that comfort for me. Only my day wasn’t stressful and my ingredients are sour cream, lemon, garlic, and butter. Nevertheless, after you’ve whipped it together once it’s practically mindless to whip up again. And mindless recipes that always come out right? Never hurt anyone.

Baked Lemon Pasta
adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• half pound Thin Spaghetti
• 2 Tablespoons Salted Butter
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 whole Lemon, Juiced And Zested
• 1 cup Light Sour Cream
• Kosher Salt to taste
• Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Chopped Flat-leaf Parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook spaghetti until al dente.
2. In a skillet, melt butter with olive oil over LOW HEAT. When butter is melted, add minced garlic. Turn off heat. Squeeze lemon juice into the pan.
3. Add sour cream and stir mixture together. Add lemon zest and salt. Taste, then add more salt if necessary.
4. Combine mixture with drained spaghetti. Transfer spaghetti to an oven safe dish.
5. Bake, covered with foil, for 15 minutes.
6. Remove foil and bake for an additional 7 to 10 minutes. (Don’t bake too long or the pasta will dry out.)
7. Squeeze a little more lemon juice over the top after you remove it from the oven.
8. Top with Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley. Enjoy!

Servings: 3