Pasta with Lemon Zest and Olives

This light, lemon zesty pasta can be served as a vegetarian entrée. Sprinkle each serving with 2 Tbsp (30 mL) walnuts; or skip the nuts, go carnivore, and serve it with grilled chicken or salmon.

2 cups (500 mL) cooked whole grain pasta (approx. 4 oz [125 g] uncooked)
1 large leek, sliced, white part only
1 cup shallots, sliced (see below)
Zest of 1 lemon (approx. 1 Tbsp [15 mL])
1/4 cup (60 mL) fresh lemon juice
2 tsp (10 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
8 olives, pitted and finely chopped
1/4 to 1/2 tsp (1 to 2 mL) red pepper flakes

Cook pasta according to the package directions.

Prep veggies: slice cleaned leeks into 1/4 in (5 mm) slices. Cut shallots in half and thinly slice into 1/4 in (5 mm) slices.

Zest lemon and set aside. Roll lemon on counter to get the most juice possible, cut in half, and squeeze out juice. If it’s a large lemon you’ll get the 1/4 cup (60 mL) that you need; if not, squeeze another half lemon.

Heat large frying pan over medium heat; add oil, leeks, and shallots; and sauté for 3 minutes.

Add olives and red pepper flakes, and sauté for 1 minute. Add lemon juice and zest; stir to heat. Divide mixture equally over 4 servings of cooked pasta. Serves 4.

Each serving contains:
214 calories; 6 g protein; 5 g total fat (0.5 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 41 g carbohydrates; 3.6 g fibre; 95 mg sodium

Pasta portions

What the heck does 1/4 lb (125 g) of uncooked pasta look like? It’s one-third of a 375 g box of pasta.

Shallot servings

What does 1 cup (250 mL) of sliced shallots look like? It looks like a lot of shallots. Buy 10 small ones, 4 French shallots, or 2 large ones, and start slicing.

source: "Salad Days", from alive #319, May 2009