When life gives you lemons… you could make lemonade, but wouldn’t you rather whip up a delectable homemade pasta limone? This rich, tangy, oh-so-easy sauce comes together in a flash with lemon juice and zest, Parmesan, and butter—plus toasted garlic and a cream sauce base for good measure. It’s all tossed with penne noodles, sautéed zucchini, and chicken breast strips, then garnished with fresh herbs and more Parm. Each bowl’s served with lemon wedges for squeezing over. This dish is truly the best of the zest.
The quantities provided above are averages only.
Produced in a facility that processes eggs, milk, fish, peanuts, sesame, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat.
1 clove
Garlic
1 unit
Lemon
6 ounce
Penne Pasta
(Contains: Wheat)
4 ounce
Cream Sauce Base
(Contains: Milk)
1 unit
Zucchini
1 unit
Green Herb Blend
10 ounce
Chicken Breast Strips
¼ cup
Parmesan Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
1 teaspoon
Olive Oil
2 tablespoon
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
Salt
Pepper
2 teaspoon
Cooking Oil
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry all produce. • Peel and thinly slice garlic. Trim and quarter zucchini lengthwise; cut crosswise into ½-inch-thick pieces. Zest and quarter lemon. Mince chives. Finely chop parsley leaves and stems.
• Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large, preferably nonstick, pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and fragrant, 1 minute. TIP: Keep a close eye on the garlic to avoid burning. Remove from heat as soon as it turns a pale golden color. • Turn off heat; using a slotted spoon, transfer garlic to a paper-towel-lined plate. Wipe out pan.
• Once water is boiling, add penne to pot. Cook until al dente, 9-11 minutes. • Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain and set aside. • While pasta cooks, heat a drizzle of oil in pan used for garlic over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and cook, stirring, until tender and lightly golden, 5-6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. • Transfer to a plate.
• While zucchini cooks, pat chicken* dry with paper towels; season with salt and pepper. • Once zucchini is done, heat a drizzle of oil in same pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes. • Reduce heat to medium.
• Cut top off carton of cream sauce base to open fully; pour contents into pan with chicken. Using a spoon or spatula, scrape any remaining sauce from carton into pan. • Stir in ¼ cup reserved pasta cooking water (½ cup for 4 servings) and a big squeeze of lemon juice; cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened, 2-3 minutes. TIP: If sauce seems too thick, add another splash or two of pasta cooking water.
• Add drained penne, zucchini, toasted garlic, half the Parmesan, half the herbs, 2 TBSP butter (3 TBSP for 4 servings), and half the lemon zest (use all the zest if desired). Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. TIP: If needed, stir in more pasta cooking water a splash at a time until everything is coated in a creamy sauce. • Divide pasta between bowls. Top with remaining Parmesan and herbs. Serve with remaining lemon wedges on the side.