Linguine with Walnuts, Green Beans, and Feta

  • This dinner was so good that I felt like making sexually-charged comments akin to the judges on the Japanese version of Iron Chef! I realize it's high in fat, but if you use lower fat feta, almost all the fat comes from really healthy sources, so I think it fits in well to SBD. Beyond that, it's divine!!! I added my notes on how to make it SBD-safe in red brackets. Don't skip the fresh lemon peel--it MAKES the dish. Enjoy!!!

    Quote:
    Linguine with Walnuts, Green Beans, and Feta

    Prep and Cook Time: about 30 minutes. Notes: To make this dish come together quickly, start heating the oven and water before you prepare the ingredients.

    1 cup walnut halves or pieces
    12 ounces dried linguine [use whole wheat]
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    12 ounces slender green beans (1/4 in. thick) such as haricots verts
    Salt and pepper
    1/4 cup toasted walnut oil or extra-virgin olive oil [I highly recommend the walnut oil--I got a big bottle for pretty cheap in the Nature's Market section of our local Wegman's]
    2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
    1 cup crumbled feta cheese (5 oz.) [to reduce the bad fats in this, use Reduced Fat (RF) feta]

    1. Put walnuts in a 10- by 15-inch pan and bake in a 350° oven until golden under skins (break one to check), 8 to 10 minutes. Pour from pan. Increase oven temperature to 500°.

    2. Meanwhile, in a covered 5- to 6-quart pan over high heat, bring about 3 1/2 quarts water to a boil. Stir in linguine and boil, uncovered, until barely tender to bite, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and return to pan.

    3. Trim ends from green beans; rinse and drain beans. In the 10- by 15-inch pan, combine 1 tablespoon olive oil and green beans; spread level in pan. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast in a 500° oven until green beans just begin to brown, 4 to 6 minutes.

    4. In a large serving bowl, combine walnut oil, lemon peel, and feta cheese. Add pasta, walnuts, and green beans; mix gently. Season to taste with more salt and pepper.

    ...Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving.

    Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings

    CALORIES 520 (52% from fat); FAT 30g (sat 5.9g); CHOLESTEROL 21mg; CARBOHYDRATE 51g; SODIUM 273mg; PROTEIN 14g; FIBER 3.4g

    Sunset, APRIL 2005
  • mmm this sounds good I bet it would be great with Shiratake noodles too!
    or some spag squash
  • Quote: mmm this sounds good I bet it would be great with Shiratake noodles too!
    or some spag squash
    yet another reason to get myself over to whole foods for those noodles. They are really hard to find!!!