Celebrate World Pasta Day With Barilla #BarillaWPD

We work. We play. We go to school. We attend birthday parties and playdates. We participate in dance and sports. We volunteer. We blog. Today's modern family is busy. With all the running that we do, to say our lives are hectic is putting it mildly.

There is one thing I try to never allow our busy lives to interfere with, and that is family dinner. It is very important to me to have everyone at the table together for dinner so we can talk about our days and enjoy a few quiet minutes as a family. This is all my kids have ever known, and I hope we can continue this tradition for many years.

Barilla recently conducted a survey addressing meal time barriers. Check out what they found...

Increasingly hectic lives make at-home meal preparation more challenging than ever BUT it’s still important:

• 88% of parents are reliant upon multi-tasking each day and more than half (58%) say their life is more hectic now, than a year ago.
• While families are making time for dinner, Two-in-five meal-preparers agree it is difficult to find time to prepare dinner in their household.
• They don’t want to miss enjoying a home cooked meal with their family as they worry the alternative will offer poor nutritional content (74%) and they will miss out on family time at the table (65%).

Leading contributors to a hectic lifestyle, making meal-planning and preparation a challenge:

• 1) Work 2) Household chores 3) Errands 4) Kids’ after school activities 5) Kids’ homework

Pasta provides the perfect meal solution for time-limited households:

• Pasta is recognized by parents and non-parents as a tasty (88%) and easy (87%) meal option and one that can be prepared using on-hand ingredients from a pantry (82%).
• Other benefits of pasta that help alleviate chaotic schedules include that it is versatile (52%), a quick go-to meal (51%) and allows for multitasking while it’s cooking (44%).

Do these results surprise you? I am definitely one of the two-in-five meal preparers who agrees that it is difficult to find time to prepare dinner. That is why I usually don't. In fact, my husband has become the resident chef in our house. He gets home earlier than the rest of us, and we're lucky that he does have a little time to cook up a family meal for us. The problem is that he doesn't have much time, so we are always looking for quick, nutritious meal ideas for our busy family.

I was thrilled to find out about the new cookbook by Barilla - "The Modern Family Pasta Cookbook". This cookbook contains easy, delicious, nutritious crowd-pleasers for time-pressed families. That's us! I also agree with the survey results that pasta provides the perfect meal solution for our time-limited household because it is quick to prepare and it is the one thing I know my kids will eat. I received a copy of the new cookbook, along with a variety of pasta from Barilla, and I couldn't wait to make something new for my family. Well, you know, give Brian a recipe for him to make.

In honor of World Pasta Day, we decided to try out the Barilla Lemon Spaghetti recipe. With a prep time of 10 minutes and a cook time of 9 minutes, Brian could have dinner ready and even have a few minutes to relax before the rest of us arrived home.

Barilla Lemon Spaghetti

Source: The Modern Family Pasta Cookbook by Barilla

Ingredients:
1 pound Barilla Spaghetti
2 fresh lemons
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2/3 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped

Preparation:
Grate lemon peels and place lemon zest in a small bowl. Juice the lemons into a separate small bowl. Whisk the oil, lemon juice, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, 3/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper in a large bowl and blend. Set the lemon sauce aside.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the spaghetti to the lemon sauce, and toss with the basil and lemon zest. Toss the pasta with enough reserved cooking liquid, 1/4 cup at a time, to moisten. Season the pasta with more salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to bowls and serve.

Brian added some grilled chicken to the pasta for himself and the kids, and I ate mine just like you see above. It was absolutely delicious! Seriously. It had just the right amount of lemon to give it a good flavor, but it wasn't overpowering or sour at all. Rylie, on the other hand, did think it was sour and didn't care much for it, but the rest of us loved it...even my super-picky eater Bryce! He even asked for more!

How do you think your family would like this recipe? If you aren't into lemons, no worries. There are several other quick and delicious recipes included in "The Modern Family Pasta Cookbook". If you head over to Barilla's Facebook page today, you can "Share a Hug" and help Barilla donate to Feeding America. You will also receive a download of the cookbook and a $1 off Barilla pasta or sauce coupon (while supplies last). From light soup to hearty lasagna, you will find a recipe for a quick, nutritious meal that your whole family will love!

How will you and your family celebrate World Pasta Day?

Disclosure: All opinions are my own. I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Barilla. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.