Green Beans Main Ingredient In This Warm-Weather Pasta Dish

On steamy summer days, the thought of cooking a nutritious meal can seem like a prison sentence. But before you give up all foods but Popsicles, try a batch of Mostaccioli with Lemon, Green Beans and Basil. The fresh flavors and light textures put the pleasure back into summer eating.

This warm-weather pasta dish is lighter than light, with less than 4 grams of fat per serving. And the combination of cool greens and whites, speckled with mushrooms and bits of lemon zest, will perk up even the most overheated appetite.

The recipe calls for a type of short, tubular pasta called mostaccioli (or “mustaches”), but you can substitute any shape of pasta you prefer.

Green beans are a key ingredient in this dish, so it is important to buy the freshest beans you can find (if they aren’t already growing in your garden).

There is a saying among greengrocers that a bean is truly fresh when it will cling to a cotton T-shirt. Just-picked beans have tiny hairs on the surface that make them rough enough to cling to soft cotton. As the bean ages off the plant, the hairs disappear.

You may not be able to find beans that will stick to your clothing, but do shop for ones that are slender, crisp and bright green. Store them in the refrigerator in a plastic bag and use within three to five days.

Mostaccioli with Lemon, Green Beans and Basil

2-1/2 cups fresh green beans, ends trimmed off and cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces

2 cups uncooked mostaccioli, penne or other short, tubular pasta (4 cups cooked)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed through a press

6 mushrooms, sliced (about 1-1/4 cups)

1 teaspoon fresh grated lemon peel (peel of 1/2 lemon)

1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Lemon wedges

Place about 1 inch of water in the bottom of a shallow saucepan with tight-fitting lid. Bring to high boil and cook the green beans until just tender, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain immediately and rinse under cold running water. Drain again and set aside.

Bring a large kettle of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain, rinse under hot water and drain again.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are soft and the garlic is fragrant, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the lemon peel and broth and bring mixture to a simmer. Stir in the green beans and cook 1 to 2 minutes longer. Stir in the pasta and basil and season to taste with salt and pepper if desired. Garnish with lemon wedges.

Yield: 5 (1-1/4 cup servings).

Nutrition information per serving: 220 calories, 4 grams fat (16 percent fat calories), 8 grams protein, 39 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 8 milligrams sodium.

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