This is a perfect time of year to make pasta primavera (which means spring!) with a new crop of vegetables hitting the market like fresh peas and asparagus. I thought I’d be all asparagus-ed out by now, but I’m not. When I see a thin-stemmed, bright green bunch in the store, I can’t resist.
I planned this dish around the asparagus, which I left in whole spears and roasted. Thought it would look great in the pictures. So I set the asparagus aside while I put the rest of the dish together. Then after I finished photographing everything (and eating it), I realized I completely forgot to add the asparagus on top! It’s Monday. Things like that are bound to happen. So I had myself a nice snack of roasted asparagus spears and got on with my day.
For those following Dr. Fuhrman’s Eat To Live program, this complies with the life plan. The small amounts of cheese and oil will count as your “daily cheat”.
Ingredients (serves 4)
1 zucchini – cut into ¼ inch pieces
1 yellow squash – cut into ¼ inch pieces
1 cup fresh or frozen sweet peas
1 ½ cups broccoli florets
4 ounces asparagus (about 12 thin spears)
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes – cut in half
½ pound pasta of choice
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
½ cup chopped shallots
2 ounces (½ cup) grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground pepper
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Place the cherry tomatoes and asparagus spears on one baking sheet, and the zucchini and yellow squash on another. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over each tray. Sprinkle pepper over vegetables. Toss with your hands until all vegetables are evenly covered with a light coat of oil. Place sheets in the oven and cook for 20 minutes. The zucchini and squash may require a few extra minutes of cooking, depending on how thick they are cut.
3. Cook the pasta per package instructions.
4. Saute the shallots and garlic in a large non-stick skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat for 7 – 10 minutes.
5. When pasta is cooked, transfer it to the skillet with the shallots and garlic over low heat. Place the peas and broccoli in the pasta water (heat turned off), cover and leave for 2 minutes to allow broccoli to become bright green.
6. Sprinkle ¼ cup of parmesan cheese over the pasta and a ¼ cup of the pasta water. Toss the pasta until the cheese is melted and evenly distributed. Arrange the pasta on a serving plate.
7. Drain the peas and broccoli and place in the skillet over low heat. Remove trays from the oven and add all of the vegetables to the skillet. Sprinkle ¼ cup parmesan cheese over veggies and gently toss until cheese is melted and evenly coats the vegetables.
8. Arrange the vegetables on top of the pasta. Serve hot immediately.
Karen Kelly says
This looks like just what I need right now. I love the way roasting vegetables brings out the flavor and makes this a bit more special. The burst tomatoes are beauties!
Amy says
I love roasting veggies as well to bring out their deep flavor. Thanks so much for stopping by, Karen!
Evi @ greenevi says
This dish looks so delicious and packed with all my favorite veggies! Beautiful recipe, thanks for sharing 🙂
Evi @ greenevi recently posted…Quinoa Bowl with Tahini and Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing
Amy says
Thank you so much for stopping by, Evi. Happy Spring!