Dinner on Deadline: Savory Italian and Asian noodle combination

Slippery and savory, this unusual combination of ingredients - Italian pasta, Asian elements, store-bought cabbage/coleslaw mix, and lime juice - works surprisingly well when you're up for just a bit of cooking and a light meal on a warm summer night.

4 servings, plus leftovers

Kosher salt

12-ounces dried whole- grain linguine

1/2 medium onion

1 large clove garlic

One 1-inch piece fresh ginger root

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 cups shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

2 limes

Small handful cilantro, plus more for garnish

Small handful basil, plus a few leaves for garnish

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and the pasta; stir, and cook according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, cut the onion into very thin slices. Mince the garlic. Peel the ginger, and mince or finely grate enough to yield 1 generous teaspoon.

3. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is fragrant, stir in onion, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes; cook for 2 to 4 minutes, until the onion starts to soften. Add the cabbage or coleslaw mix, stirring to coat; cover and cook for 3 minutes or until it just starts to wilt.

4. Drain the linguine, reserving 1/3 cup of the cooking water. Return the linguine to its (now empty) pot, then transfer the contents of the skillet to the pot (off the heat). Add the soy sauce, and toss.

5. Use a microplane zester to grate about 2 teaspoons of lime zest over the pot. Cut the limes in half, then squeeze their juice over the mixture in the pot; toss to incorporate. If dry, add reserved pasta cooking water.

6. Coarsely chop the cilantro and the basil. Add to the pot, and toss gently.

7. Divide among wide, shallow bowls; garnish with a few basil and/or cilantro leaves, if desired. Serve warm.

- Adapted from Good Cheap

Eats: Dinner in 30 Minutes

(or Less!), by Jessica Fisher

(Harvard Common Press, 2015)

Per serving: 280 calories,

8 g protein, 46 g carbohydrates, 9 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 190 mg sodium,

7 g dietary fiber, 4 g sugar.