Creamy Garlic Lemon Pasta

Recently I began to reincorporate certain foods back into my diet after following a strict anti inflammatory eating program. I discovered that adding back Pasta was tricky for me as I had flare ups due to gluten. I tried a few gluten free pastas and determined that the best tasting gluten free brand was Barilla. However, my husband really disliked the taste of the pasta no matter how I prepared.

The problem for Tom was he felt the pasta texture tasted like chalk - so I did research and discovered I may have been under cooking the pasta. Tom also just did not like the flavor. I kind of agreed with him but going back to regular pasta is not an option for me so I began to experiment with different flavors. The one that became a winner is made with roasted garlic and lots of lemon zest.

Quick Tip - if you do not want to take the time to roast a head of garlic use instead the refrigerated garlic mash that is sold in the produce section of your grocery store. I do not recommend using fresh chopped garlic in this recipe as it can be hard on the stomach.

For my first test on this recipe idea I made a small batch with just lemon and garlic. I loved the results but I was craving a creamier texture. Since using heavy cream is not an option for me I needed to work a mild cheese into the recipe. I experimented with ricotta and the results were outstanding.

I am really happy to share this recipe as living without some kind of creamy pasta (once in a while) is not a happy place to be.

Quick Tip - using regular pasta will work beautifully. Just cook the pasta as you normally would.

Ingredients:

1/2 box gluten free Barilla brand spaghetti or penne

1 whole bulb of garlic - roasted

1 cup whole milk Ricotta

1 large lemon - zest entire lemon

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

pinch red pepper flakes

salt & black pepper

1 small bunch of fresh basil - roll the leaves and slice

1 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan

How to Roast a Garlic Bulb:

Begin by cutting the end tips off a whole bulb of garlic. Keep the base in tact. Remove the excess skin that falls off easily. Place the bulb on aluminum foil, drizzle one tablespoon olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the wrapped garlic bulb onto a sheet pan and roast in the oven at 425 degrees for approx 40 minutes. If you like you can do several heads of garlic and refrigerate for later use.

Remove the garlic and allow it to cool slightly. When ready to use gently squeeze the bottom part of the bulb until all the roasted garlic meat comes out. Roasted garlic is beautifully sweet and a wonderful addition to any recipe.

Prepare your pasta by placing 1/2 box into heavily salted boiling water. Be sure to stir the pasta well as gluten free pasta tends to stick. I have tried adding olive oil and it does help with this one type of pasta - where normally adding oil is not necessary.

Cook for 9 minutes then taste. You want the pasta to not be under cooked. You may need to boil for one minute more. When the pasta is done turn the heat off, but do not drain.

*While the pasta is boiling prepare your cheese sauce by adding the ricotta into a large mixing bowl. Squeeze the entire bulb of garlic into the bowl. Add next the lemon zest (zest 2 lemons if your lemons are small), the red pepper flakes, one tablespoon olive oil, pinch of salt and black pepper - then stir the mixture well until you have a creamy texture.

As soon as the pasta is ready use long tongs and add the pasta directly into the mixing bowl being certain to include the pasta water that is still on the pasta. Once all the pasta is in the bowl stir well using the tongs.

The cheese mixture should look a bit soupy. If your pasta is not super creamy add a little bit of the pasta water until you have the right consistency.

Finish by adding the Parmesan cheese and the fresh basil slices. Add a bit more salt and pepper to taste then give it one more stir.

Serve Immediately.

ENJOY!