Colleen Quigley's Yogurt Fettuccine

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 5 minutes
• total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb pasta (Colleen loves shells, spirals, fettuccini, bucatini - I used rigatoni)

1 large egg

1 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt

1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 cup olive oil

1-2 tsp dried basil or oregano

1/2 tsp black pepper (optional)

3-5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced*

Fresh chopped parsley or basil (optional)

*I like having slivers of toasty garlic in the pasta, but if you don’t like that you could just smash it and then remove it from the oil/pasta or chop it more finely (just note it will cook much faster when finely chopped, so be careful not to burn it).

Veggie boost! ~ I like this as is, but you could add chopped broccoli or asparagus during the last 1-2 minutes of pasta cooking time (or even fresh or frozen spinach). Or stir in some grilled veggies!

Protein boost! ~ Add chopped grilled chicken into the pasta along with the yogurt sauce or top with grilled shrimp.

Note: ~ Serve this with a simple side salad or this week's Lemony Fennel Kale Salad (I like to add some of this salad right into my pasta bowl for a nice tangy crunch).

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil (3-4 quarts water, 1 tablespoon salt). Add pasta and cook according to the package instructions. Reserve about 1 cup pasta water, then drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the egg, then stir in the yogurt, parmesan, and salt until combined.

Once you’ve drained the pasta, wipe the pasta pot dry (or you can do this in a separate skillet), and add the oil, basil or oregano, black pepper (if using), and garlic. Turn the heat on low and cook until very fragrant and the garlic is softened, about 2 minutes (careful not to burn the garlic, it will continue to cook a bit in the oil before you add the pasta). Turn off the heat.

Add the pasta back to the pot and immediately stir to coat in that garlic oil. Add the yogurt mixture and stir until everything is well coated. You can thin the sauce out a bit with some of that reserved pasta water, if needed (this comes in handy if the pot is sitting out for a bit before serving).

Serve topped with black pepper and some fresh herbs if you have them.