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Spaghetti with Garlic Lemon Bread Crumbs is a quick and easy meatless pasta recipe. Fresh bread crumbs are fried until crisp with garlic, lemon and fresh parsley and tossed with spagetti and plenty of parmesan cheese. It's simply beautiful.

I doubt there are very many people who can honestly say they haven't given at least a few moments thought to what they'd do if they won that $900 million Power Ball. It's more money than you could ever spend. Obviously first you'd invest most of it. Then set up a trust for your kids. Enough that they don't have to worry, but not so much that they turn into douche bags. Set up a foundation so you can give a bunch of it away. But even all that, there would still be plenty left to do pretty much whatever you want forever.

I think I'd buy a modest house with a decked out kitchen, but I imagine I'd probably spend many of my days on a train. If I had Power Ball money, I doubt you'd find me in one place for more than a few months. I'd see everything. Ever. Hell, I might even write a book about it.

But I don't have Power Ball money, and I never will. So instead, I go to my humble job, try to do some good in the world, and put simple and delicious food on my table while watching nature documentaries on my TV.

What makes Spaghetti with Garlic Lemon Bread Crumbs so awesome?

Today I made a simple pasta dish, Spaghetti with Garlic Lemon Bread Crumbs. Simple it may be, but it's definitely packed with flavor. It's amazing what one clove of garlic and a lemon can do for your life.

I just use a slice of everyday sandwich bread to make the fresh bread crumbs that are needed for this dish. You definitely want to start by crumbling up some fresh bread for this, though. Don't use panko or other store-bought bread crumbs.

We round it out with crushed red pepper flakes for a hint of heat, and some Parmesan because cheese. And don't forget a nice handful of fresh flat leaf parsley. It's as close as I come to eating vegetables.

Basically if I had all the money ever, I'd spend my days traveling the world and trying to find people to cook for. Wouldn't that be awesome? What would you do?

Spaghetti with Garlic Lemon Bread Crumbs

Print Recipe

Spaghetti with Garlic Lemon Bread Crumbs is a simple dish packed with flavor.

Author: Renee Rendall
Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 10
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 2 servings 1x
Category: Dinner
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

Scale

8 ounces spaghetti
1 tablespoon olive oil
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove
½ cup fresh bread crumbs
½ cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons butter
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

Fill a large pot with water and place it over high heat. Put the lid on so it will boil faster. Once you've reached a rapid boil, add a couple fat pinches of salt, then cook your pasta according to the package directions. Before you drain the pasta, use a coffee cup to remove about a half a cup of pasta water in case you need to add moisture to your dish later. Drain the pasta and return it to it's cooking pot.
While you're waiting for your pasta to do its thing, place a skillet over medium low heat and add the olive oil. While your oil is warming, zest your lemon into the skillet. Next, peel your garlic clove and grate it into the warming oil as well.
Once that becomes fragrant, stir in the bread crumbs. Cook them gently, stirring occasionally, until they become browned and crisp.
Turn off the heat and stir in the chopped parsley. Set aside until your pasta is cooked.
Once you've got your pasta back in the hot pan, add the butter and juice of half a lemon. Toss everything together until all the pasta is coated in the butter.
Add the red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, and parmesan cheese and toss again. You may need to add a bit of that reserved pasta water to keep everything moist and bring it all together. Taste it now to see if you want to add more lemon juice or other seasonings.
Finally, add the bread crumb mixture and toss to combine. Serve hot with a smile.