Here’s one of my favorite recipes to make when the weather finally starts to get warm – Spring Pasta!
There’s something about the changing of the seasons that always inspires me to cook. In the fall, I want to make chili and any pumpkin flavored recipe I can get my hands on. Wintertime is all about comfort foods: soups and casseroles and warm drinks. In the summer, I want easy, no-cook recipes so I don’t have to turn on the stove or oven when it’s 99 degrees in the house. And in the spring, it’s all about the vegetables, and this veggie packed Spring Pasta.
I LOVE vegetables.
Unfortunately, my husband and kids aren’t huge fans. I can usually get them to eat a few if I roast them and cover them with oil, butter, and cheese. However, one thing that we all love is pasta! So my spring pasta recipe is golden in our house.
Graham was a great sous chef the day we made the pasta. He loved snapping the asparagus to trim off the tough ends.
I love cooking with the kids, but I do have to mentally prepare myself before we begin. They almost always make a huge mess and they can be super distracting. We talk about the importance of following directions and listening, and sometimes they do great. Other times…not so much. This was a good day, luckily.
My favorite place to buy vegetables is the Dekalb Farmers Market. There’s a ton of variety, and everything is super fresh. If you decide to check it out, make sure you get there early. It gets packed later in the day!
Do your kids like vegetables? What are your tricks to getting them to eat healthy foods?
- Prep Time: 10m
- Cook Time: 20m
- Total Time: 30m
- Serves: 6
- Category: Recipes
Ingredients
- 1 pound farfalle Pasta
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
- 1 orange or yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
- 1 lemon, zest rind and cut in half
- 1 cup parmesan, freshly grated, plus more for finishing
- 1 bunch of basil and/or parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Line baking sheet with foil. Spread asparagus, broccoli and pepper on sheet in an even layer. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil on top and sprinkle with salt. Toss to combine.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of your vegetables.
- While the vegetables are cooking, heat a large pot of salted water to boiling. Cook farfalle according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid and drain pasta.
- In a separate large pan, heat the 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, and garlic on low until the garlic has infused into the butter and oil. Remove garlic.
- Combine the cooked roasted vegetables and the cooked pasta in the pan with the infused butter and oil. Add the halved tomatoes and the parmesan. If the pasta seems dry, you can add some of the pasta cooking liquid, a small amount at a time until the sauce reaches your desired constancy.
- Top with the fresh herbs, more grated parmesan and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, if desired.
Yummy! I thinks it’s time daddy and I invited ourselves to dinner!
Come on over!
Looks amazing!
Thanks Robin! I’ve been craving your bowtie and broccoli recipe that you used to make back in college. YUM!!