Jamie Oliver’s Easy Summer Pasta Has Less Than 500 Calories

Jamie Oliver is a genius at whipping up fabulous meals from just a handful of fresh ingredients and healthy-pantry staples, so we asked him to share his favorite summertime meal—one that works equally well as a fast weeknight supper and a special dinner for guests. He delivered with this easy and delicious recipe for tagliarini (long, paper-thin noodles) from his recent book, Cook With Jamie. As you cook, check out his secrets for perfect flavor at the end of each step.

Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Makes 10 servings

Ingredients:
3 ounces pine nuts, divided
Zest and juice of 2 large lemons
1 large bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked, half finely chopped and half left whole (about 1 cup total)
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for shaving
1½ ounces freshly grated pecorino cheese
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Sea salt, to taste
18 ounces good-quality tagliarini

Instructions:
1. Smash half the pine nuts into a paste, then put them into a big, heatproof bowl with remaining whole pine nuts, lemon zest and juice, chopped parsley, and olive oil. Stir, then add the Parmesan and pecorino.

Tip: The sauce should be reasonably thick—think of it as a dressing. Taste it, so you can balance the flavors and make sure it’s quite zingy; as the sauce heats and cheese melts, the lemony flavor will calm down.

2. Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. Sit sauce bowl on top while water heats up—this will take the chill out. When water starts to boil, remove bowl and add pasta to pot. Cook pasta according to package instructions; drain, reserving about ½ cup cooking water. Toss pasta with sauce and reserved cooking water. The heat from the pasta will melt the cheese, allowing the lovely sauce to coat it.

Tip: If you find the sauce too thick, add a little more water; it should be incredibly silky, fresh, and fragrant. Have one last taste to balance the flavors. Add some Parmesan and a sprinkle of parsley; enjoy immediately. (Serving size: 1 cup)

Nutrition:
Calories 444; Fat 25g (sat 5g, mono 13g, poly 5g); Cholesterol 14mg; Protein 14g; Carbohydrate 41g; Sugars 2g; Fiber 3g; Iron 3mg; Sodium 417mg; Calcium 181mg