Springtime Lemon Spaghetti

It may not be officially spring yet but it sure feels and looks like it around here! The temperatures are actually creeping into the mid-80's already. We've contemplated turning the A/C on but this is really the only time to cut back on our electric bill so we've sucked it up. The windows are open and the ceiling fans are on high. It feels so beautiful around here and there's something about this time of year that makes me want to eat healthier and greener.

This dish embodies so many things that I love: Vegetables, Lemon, Pasta! I mean, you can't go wrong. Like most of my recipes you can add almost anything to this dish. I usually add mushrooms but didn't have any on hand. I also usually do garlic but I was rushing to get this on the table and totally forgot to add it this time. Nevertheless it was a wonderfully flavorful dish and the first of many this summer!
Also, as you might have figured out by now, I am not the best at measuring things, especially my own recipes, so bear with me when I say "about" this much. I just use my judgement and always taste throughout making a meal!

Ingredients:
- Any amount/kind of vegetable you want. You can use fresh, frozen, both, etc. I used frozen peas, asparagus and fresh broccoli this time.
- One lemon
- Parsley (optional, totally not needed! I just had some on hand)
- Wheat Spaghetti
- 1/2c-1c Milk (this really depends on how much sauce you are making! Sometimes I make waaaaay too much and end up freezing half the sauce for later!)
- 2T butter
- 2T all purpose flour

Directions:
- Start boiling the water for the pasta, cut up your vegetables to desired size.

- Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour. (You are going to make a roux, by the way!) Whisk together. Season with S&P.

It should look like wet sand. Slowly pour in milk and whisk, whisk, whisk!  Add lemon zest and lemon juice and keep whisking.

It should start coming together after the milk heats up. (You can shorten the time it takes by heating the milk up beforehand but I always forget to do that!) Turn the heat down to low and simmer while you finish the dish.
Now is a GREAT time to TASTE! Add more lemon or seasoning now. Remember, you want it a bit more lemony because when you add the other ingredients you will lose a bit of lemon flavor.

This is about how thick your sauce should be. But you can always let it simmer and it should get thicker. Add water/lemon if you need to thin it out.

Boil the spaghetti according to package. Add vegetables and cook together -easy peasy!

Drain. I add the frozen peas now and let them defrost at the last minute.

Mix all together. Add parsley if you have it. 

Delicious! I like to serve mine with a slice of lemon because Dennis doesn't like his as lemony as I like mine ;) Parmesan cheese is almost a must with this dish. It just adds that extra layer of flavor. I tried adding it to the whole dish before serving but the cheese melts and gets stuck on the tongs that I use to toss the pasta. Not pretty. So now I add it after serving the dish up! 

LB's plate :) 

She's a fan! Though the spaghetti was a bit harder for her to get in her mouth. I would use different noodles for the kiddos!