I made this dish on a whim the other day for lunch. Thankfully I have a beautiful herb garden on my back porch that allows me to cook on the “hip”. I’m so thankful I found this recipe on the Rachael Ray site! Unlike most pasta dishes the pasta is cooked right in the pan with everything else (similar to risotto). This dish was amazing, and I did not change anything from the recipe. Even my husband who can not appreciate a great bowl of creamy pasta was asking for seconds!!! I’ve finally found a winning cream pasta dish that made his heart skip a beat! Even the biggest carnivores in your life won’t be asking; “where’s the meat?”. I will definitely be making this again whether it be for lunch or dinner!
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Serves: 4
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 5 to 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 2 carrots, cut into thin sticks
- 1 zucchini, cut into thin sticks
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- ½ to ¾ cup dry white wine
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- Grated peel of 1 lemon
- Flat-leaf parsley, chopped (a generous handful), or 3 to 4 tablespoons snipped chives
Directions:
1. In a saucepan, simmer the broth over medium heat.
2. In a large, deep skillet, heat the EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, and the butter over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic. Add the spaghetti and toast lightly, about 2 minutes. Add the onion, carrots, zucchini and thyme. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until the vegetables soften, stirring with tongs, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook until completely absorbed. Add a few ladlefuls of warm broth and stir the pasta. Keep adding broth a few ladlefuls at a time, letting the liquid absorb before adding more. Stir often, like you would prepare a risotto, until all the liquid is absorbed and the spaghetti is al dente, 12 to 15 minutes.
3. Stir the cream and cheese into the pasta, remove from the heat and stir for 1 minute longer, until the cheese is melted and creamy. Serve the pasta in shallow bowls, topped with the lemon peel and parsley.
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