Pasta Primavera

This classic Italian dish is perfect for the spring and summer as all the fresh produce comes in, a bounty of goodness that you fold into delicious pasta. 

When you “play with your food”, realize that your choice of veg it totally up to you, your tastes, and what you have available from your garden, farmers market, or local grocer.

Plus, as in the image we chose, you can sub in any pasta you like. We chose penne because it holds the lemony sauce so well! 

You’ll Need: 

For The Pasta:

2 cups (16oz) Penne

For The Primavera Veggie Part:

• 1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup zucchini, cut into bite-sized coins
• 1/2 cup broccoli, cut into bite sized-wedges
• 1/2 cup asparagus, cut into bite sized segments
• 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
• Salt and black pepper to taste

The All Important Sauce:

• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 Tbsp onion, minced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• A sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1 cup cream
• 1/3 cup pasta water
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice, to taste
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

To Finish:

• ¼ cup basil, chopped
• Even more parmesan cheese, for garnish
• Crushed red pepper flakes, for garnish

What You’ll Do

First, start your pasta water boiling. Be sure to add a couple of teaspoons of salt. After about 10 minutes, check the pasta for doneness. When it is just al dente, pull it out into a bowl, and reserve that lovely starchy pasta water.

Meanwhile, as the water’s coming to boil, prep all your ingredients by getting everything chopped, grated, and ready for adding as this dish comes together.

NOTE:

In this recipe, you will initially undercook the veggies so they’re almost done, but not quite, so they can finish cooking in the final sauce.

Add butter to a large sauce pan, and saute the veggies. Those items that require a longer cooking time will go first: broccoli, asparagus, (bell pepper, if using). Give those about 2 minutes, then add the mushrooms and zucchini. Saute until the zucchs are almost but not quite finished cooking through.

Remove the veg to a plate.

Now For The Cream Sauce:

• In that same pan, melt the butter over a medium flame.
• Add in the garlic and onions for a couple of minutes, then add the cream and Parmesan.
• Stir these until smooth, and then add the cooked pasta back into the cream sauce.
• Add the 1/3 cup of starchy pasta water, stirring it into the matrix.

NOTE:

• If the sauce is too thin, add a sprinkle of Parm, mix through and reassess. 
• If the mix is too thick, add a splash of pasta water, mix through and reassess.

Once you get the consistency of the sauce the way you want it, add in the veggies and stir through the sauce.

Add the lemon juice, and then correct the seasonings (salt, pepper).

Finish The Dish:

• Add the cut cherry tomatoes and basil leaves. Stir them through the simmering sauce until the basil is incorporated and the tomatoes are warmed through.
• Serve with crusty bread in the favorite Italian piazza of your imagination 😉

PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD:

• In this recipe we don’t have you add salt until late in the game. That’s because you add 2 sources of salt that don’t come from your shaker: the pasta water, and Parm.
• Only after those are in and blended do you want to taste and correct for the salt content.
• Lemon lends amazing flavor on its own, but its citric acid also enhances the flavors of the dish it goes into. So, tasting your sauce AFTER the lemon is added boosts the taste of what’s already in there.