Active Time

　　15 minutes

　　Total Time

　　15 minutes

　　Again, easy peasy. Not only can this be made while the pasta is cooking, you have plenty of time to make a lovely salad and assemble a cheese plate for after dinner. Parmesan, lemon, and basil are a threesome made in heaven. The cheesy lemon basil flavors are also very kid friendly.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 4

　　3/4 pound (3/4 box) spaghetti

　　Coarse salt

　　1 lemon

　　1 1/2 cups finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese

　　1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

　　2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

　　3-5 tablespoons of pasta water, to thin

　　Handful fresh basil leaves (from 4 leafy stems)

　　

Step 1

Boil the spaghetti in salted boiling water, according to the package directions.

　　

Step 2

Meanwhile, using a Microplane, grate the zest from the lemon into a large mixing bowl. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the bowl (I like to use the grater as a strainer—one less thing to clean). Add the 1 1/2 cups Parmesan, pepper, and a pinch of salt, and mix in the olive oil to form a wet paste.

　　

Step 3

When the spaghetti is perfectly cooked, add 2 or 3 tablespoons of the cooking water to the lemon and cheese mixture. Add the spaghetti to the bowl and toss thoroughly, adding another tablespoon or 2 of pasta water if necessary so that the sauce coats each strand. Roughly tear in the basil leaves.

　　

Step 4

Serve each portion with a sprinkle of coarse salt, a fresh grind of black pepper, and a few gratings of extra Parmesan.

　　Reprinted with permission from My Father's Daughter by Gwyneth Paltrow, (C) © 2011 Grand Central Life & Style