TPN / KATE SHATZKIN

This recipe sounded light and different — not something I would have thought of doing with spaghetti, but something simple enough for a young kid to like.

I was encouraged when my daughter said, “This is not too bad … ”

Though she followed up with: “But it is bad.” (She’s 8. “Tweenhood” has begun.)

And Sam, a young lemon lover, was simply unconvinced that there was even any lemon in it, because the zest was so well hidden. Next time, I’ll have to cut great strips of it over the top.

Fortunately, we served this with pork chops, which the children did eat. The next day, I had some of the spaghetti — which, to this adult palate, was delicious — for lunch with arugula, cherry tomatoes and some chopped garlic scapes tossed in.

Recipe: Pucker Up P’sghetti1

PUCKER UP P’SGHETTI

Zest of 1/2 of a lemon

1/8 cup fresh lemon juice, about 1 lemon

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese and extra for garnish

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 pound cooked spaghetti, warm

Zest lemon into a large bowl, then whisk in lemon juice, olive oil, cheese, and salt. Add spaghetti and toss to coat. Serve warm.

Serves 4.

Adapted from thetoddlercafe.blogspot.com

Per serving: 293 calories, 7 grams protein, 21 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 19 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 9 milligrams cholesterol, 394 mg sodium.