Lemon Flavored Fettuccine with Broccoli

I do love cooking elaborate meals. But, there are days when I don't even feel like lifting my little finger. All I would love to do is to snuggle under my blanket & settle down with a good book or just randomly blog hop for recipes. Fixing a meal on such days is such a pain. I am sure all of you must have gone through this phase. Sometimes I just end up eating a little bit of this - n - that, & when hunger strikes again with its full force, I do realise that those junkies weren't exactly a good idea.

Last week was one such day when I was at my laziest best. Having skipped breakfast, I was too hungry to have eaten those bits n bobs. I had some leftover broccoli florets lying in the refrigirator for nearly a week. With some sundried tomatoes & fettuccine pasta, I whipped up this quick meal.

Here's how I made it,

You Will Need:

• Fettuccine Pasta - 300 gms
• 1 cup Broccoli florets
• 2 tbsp sun dried tomatoes
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp - black pepper powder - coarsely ground
• A pinch of turmeric
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt as per taste
• 1 tsp Lemon zest for garnish (optional)

Method:

• Cook Pasta in a huge pot of heavily salted water as per package instructions for about 8 minutes or until cooked. Do Not overcook the pasta. Drain & keep aside
• I added a pinch of turmeric to the boiling water for that bright yellow color. I know it sounds crazy to add turmeric in an Italian dish, but well, it did look bright
• Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan & saute broccoli until tender. The florets must retain their cruch.
• Add sundried tomatoes & pasta. Add in lemon juice & black pepper powder & toss well to combine. Adjust salt as per taste
• Garnish with lemon zest & Serve HOT.

Can be served as Pasta Salad too at room temprature.

Enjoi !!

I made these on a whim & it turned out to be great. This time around, I experimented with lemons & I wasn't disappointed. The lemon juice & zest are the highlights add a nice flavor to the dish. The lemony flavor blends well with black pepper & give broccoli a nice spicy & lemony crunch. Sun dried tomatoes add a bit of flavor from their side & binds well with fettucine. Together, it made a great dish.

This did put a satisfying end to my hunger, without much effort. I will be making this again, probably on another lazy day.

NOTE: Since Iam not a big fan of cheese, I didn't add them. You could top it with grated cheese for that creamy texture. But, It tastes great without cheese

This goes to Vaishali's , Its a Vegan World: Italian !!