Katie from Richmond asks...
"I love pasta dishes for dinner - usually with a marinara or vodka sauce, and a meat - but since it's summer I would like to lighten up my pasta dishes. What ideas do you have? They can be hot or cold recipes."
Katie, you should definitely check out my Mediterranean pasta salad. From there, take a look at the rest of my pasta dishes. There are 9 or so and they're mostly light and summer appropriate. I'd also suggest you look into some Asian cookbooks. I think that soba (Japanese buckwheat) noodles and Thai-style cellophane noodles are great in cold salads with just some thinly julienned vegetables tossed with peanut sauce or a little sesame oil.
For hot dishes, why not make a big batch of pesto sauce? You can keep it well in the fridge or freezer and enjoy the seasonal basil for months to come. Experiment with different pesto sauces, as well. Throw in some sun-dried tomatoes or roasted red peppers. Use walnuts or almonds instead of pine nuts. Add arugula or parsley to the basil, switch up the hard Italian cheeses that you use. It's a fun way to create something new. Don't forget to tell me if something wonderful comes out of your kitchen experiments!
Finally, you can toss boiled pasta with any wilted green for a light summer supper. I recommend kale, broccoli rabe, or even spinach. A squeeze of lemon juice and drizzle of olive oil finishes the dish with brightness and flavor without filling you up with all that sauce.
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