Friday, March 26, 2010

Pasta Primavera



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I love pasta, so when I came across a dish that is heart healthy, diet friendly and delicious I knew it had to be shared. Several years ago Giada De Laurentis featured this version of Pasta Primavera on her television show. At the time it was unique because it was made with roasted vegetables and used pan juices rather than cream to coat the pasta. While this is not a difficult dish to make, it involves mise en place a plenty and it's best to set aside 30 minutes to prepare the vegetables for the oven. Try to cut them all into matchstick-size pieces to insure even cooking. You will need two large baking sheets to hold the vegetables and it will look like you are planning to feed the immediate world. Don't worry, their volume will decrease by half as they cook, so you'll be left with a manageable quantity to add to the pasta. I do cheat a little when I make this dish. I've found that the other vegetables cook more quickly than the carrots, so I blanch the carrots prior to roasting. I also warm the tomatoes before adding them to the pasta. This recipe makes a lot of food. If you are cooking for a small family I'd advise cutting the recipe ingredients in half. The dish does not freeze well. If you are looking for a meatless meal, I think you'll love this one. Here's the recipe.

Pasta Primavera
...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Giada De Laurentis

Ingredients:
3 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips
2 medium zucchini or 1 large zucchini, cut into thin strips
2 yellow squash, cut into thin strips
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/4 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs or herbes de Provence
1 pound farfalle (bowtie pasta)
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2) On a large heavy baking sheet, toss all vegetables, except for tomatoes, with oil, salt, pepper, and dried herbs. Coat well. Transfer half to another heavy large baking sheet and arrange vegetables evenly on pans. Bake until carrots are tender and vegetables begin to brown, stirring after first 10 minutes, about 20 minutes total.
3) Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid.
4) Toss pasta with vegetable mixture in a large bowl to combine. Add cherry tomatoes and enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately. Yield: 6 Servings.

You might also enjou these recipes:

Pasta Puttanesca - One Perfect Bite

Straw and Hay - One Perfect Bite
Capellini Capricciosi - One Perfect Bite

24 comments :

Unknown said...

I am so ready for spring and summer dishes. This is one of my favorites to make when the Farmer's Market veggies are in season. Hope you are better. Those enchiladas verde are on my list to make very soon. YUM. I took a little mini-vacation this week with Hubby, but Crock Pot Wednesday will be back up this coming week. I hope you will join me.

My Little Space said...

This recipe is so tempting. I love all the mixed in veggies. Sounds delicious!

Carla and Michael said...

Oh spring! Thanks for the reminder. Looks inviting and so yummy.

MaryMoh said...

I feel like cooking it now. That looks very refreshing and delicious.

Debbie said...

Sounds delicious Mary and also lighter than many of the other pasta recipes I've seen.

Elizabeth said...

This looks so light tasty. I can't wait to try it as soon as I can get some fresh veggies from my farmer's market.

NKP said...

Delish! Perfect for spring. I love Giada's recipes.

Maria said...

I love the fresh veggies!

Bob said...

Sounds good to me, roasted veggies are the bomb. I'd still want a little cream though, heh.

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

So full of colors... looks terrific. I am making several cold pastas for meals here, and this looks like it would make a winner!

Joanne said...

There's no such thing as a pasta with too many veggies in my opinion! This looks delicious. Love that it's creamless.

Rachel said...

This looks so delicious and fresh! You have quite a lot of amazing meals on here. I can't wait to have a look around.

Thanks for visiting my blog!!

San said...

Hi,thanks for your lovely comments.Iam so glad that you did so else i would missed such a wonderful blogger like you.Iam awestruck with all your recipes n you definitely hace a lovely space here filled with luscious dishes.Following you.Pasta is so decadent n much flavorful with the veggies n the combo of the peppers makes it more colorful n pleasing.Thanks for the recipe.

Hayley said...

Very healthy and colourful pasta.my DD just crazy about pasta!!

Ms. Meanie said...

That looks lovely! Great way to welcome spring.

♥ Kathy said...

Oh I love Giada! And that looks so pretty...pretty food tastes better to me :)

Laurie said...

Love fresh veggies with pasta.. this sounds so good!

Lucia from Madison said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog. I visited yours and my first thought was wow that looks great. I will be back to borrow some recipes1

Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak Lover said...

Love the colour of this pasta, and it sound hearty !!Have a good weekend.

noble pig said...

Yummy for Spring all right!!

Lyndas recipe box said...

I am so ready for summer vegetables, especially for dishes like this. Can't wait to make this Mary-we love roasted veggies with pasta.

Deb in Hawaii said...

This looks delicious--love the idea of roasting the veggies.

Diana's Cocina said...

Mary, this sounds delicious.

DailyChef said...

I seem to always order this in restaurants. But yours looks better. And I'll get to save money? hrm...

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