Pasta Primavera

One of my favourite magazine subscriptions is Cooking Light. I look forward to receiving it every month as it is full of tasty, healthy recipes that showcase the produce of the season. Tonight I made the pasta primavera from this month's Cooking Light and it was great.

This was a bit of a departure for me, as I tend to always go for tomato based sauces when it comes to pasta. I am not a fan of creamy sauces, but this one was light and extremely tasty. The recipe itself was part of a feature on milk and its health benefits in cooking. This recipe utilizes half-and-half to make the sauce lovely and creamy, yet still keep the calorie count to 338 for each serving. There is also a whole bunch of vegetables, which was just what the doctor ordered after an indulgent weekend in Florida! I did not have any fettuccine and used cavatapi instead, but you could use whatever type of pasta you like. The cavatapi actually worked very nicely.




Pasta Primavera
(Serves 4)

2 cups green beans, trimmed and halved crosswise
2 cups broccoli florets
1/2 cup slices of asparagus
6oz fettuccine
1 tbs olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 tsp minced garlic
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
2/3 cup half-and-half
1 tsp cornstarch
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup shaved parmigiano reggiano

1. Cook green beans in boiling water for 1 minute. Add broccoli and asparagus, cook 2 minutes more until veggies are crisp-tender, then remove from pan with a slotted spoon into a large bowl. Return water to the boil, then add pasta, cook 10 minutes until al dente. Drain and add to vegetable mix.

2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for 2 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper, saute for 3 minutes or until onion begins to brown. Add peas and saute for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and saute for 2 minutes. Combine half-and-half and cornstarch with a whisk. Reduce heat to medium and add half-and-half mixture plus salt to the pan. Cook for 1 minute or until sauce thickens, stirring constantly.

3. Add pasta and vegetables to pan and toss to coat. Sprinkle over basil and cheese and serve immediately.