Pasta Primavera

recipe from Cooking Classy

Ingredients:

  • 10 oz.  favorite pasta (try fresh pasta from new vendor Tall Girl)
  • Salt
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 medium red onion, halved & sliced
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped or grated
  • 2 cups broccoli florets or broccolini, chopped
  • 1 medium bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 medium yellow squash, sliced and quartered
  • 1 medium zucchini, sliced and quartered
  • 3 – 4 cloves garlic, minced (or chopped garlic scapes)
  • 1 cup (heaping) grape/cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning (basil & oregano)
  • 1/2 cup pasta water
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup shredded parmesan, divided
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (or any herbs you like)

Directions:

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions, reserve 1/2 cup pasta water before draining.
  2. Meanwhile heat olive oil in a 12-inch (and deep) skillet over medium-high heat.
  3. Add red onion and carrot and sauté 2 minutes.
  4. Add broccoli and bell pepper then sauté 2 minutes.
  5. Add squash and zucchini then sauté 2 – 3 minutes or until veggies have nearly softened.
  6. Add garlic, tomatoes, and Italian seasoning and sauté 2 minutes longer.
  7. Pour veggies into now empty pasta pot or a serving bowl, add drained pasta, drizzle in lemon juice, season with a little more salt as needed and toss while adding in pasta water to loosen as desired.
  8. Toss in 1/4 cup parmesan and parsley then serve with remaining parmesan on top. Makes 5 servings.

Cook’s Note: When you slice the squashes, stack the slices to halve and then quarter them quickly. I really like a tomato slicing (serrated) knife for cutting any size tomatoes. If using garlic scapes, remove the bulb and trim the cut end off.

If you wanted to make this truly spring primavera, you would want to use things like asparagus and peas with the carrots, spring onions, mushrooms, and garlic scapes as well as fresh herbs and maybe some chopped spring greens.  You can use the same combination to make a spring risotto.

 

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