I’ve been eating a lot of pasta lately for a few reasons, first and foremost being that I recently decided to stop donating the lion’s share of my household budget to Whole Foods and pasta is quite inexpensive, but also because I have this website about cooking easy recipes that anyone can master.

And tell me, what is easier than cooking pasta?

Okay, ordering take-out is easier than cooking pasta, true, but let’s just not go there. It’s been a long week.

I was browsing through my recipe index the other day (tell me that you don’t read your own blog too, because if you do I won’t believe you) and I realized that I have complicated pasta recipes like spinach, pesto and fontina lasagne and sun-dried tomato risotto, I don’t have the easy-breezy everyday pasta recipes that I actually cook. And I cook them pretty often.

So, inspired by some brightly colored summer squash I hit the kitchen last week to crank out one of the simplest – and healthiest – pasta dishes that I could think of: pasta primavera.

I opted to use whole-wheat spaghetti but this is also great with penne or linguine.

Summer Spaghetti Primavera

What You Need:

12 ounces linquine or fettucine
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 ounces bite-sized broccoli florets
8 ounces asparagus, cut to 1-inch lengths
1 large yellow summer squash, diced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving (if desired)
1/2 cup pasta water (from cooked pasta)
1/2-1 teaspoon salt
1/4-1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup fresh basil, sliced
1/2 cup roasted red peppers

How-To:

Prepare the pasta according to package instructions, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water after cooking. In a large skillet or sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add the garlic and sauté for about two minutes, or until fragrant. Add the broccoli florets, asparagus and summer squash and cook until vegetables are tender.

Add Parmesan cheese and about half of the pasta water and stir until combined. Let the mixture simmer until it has thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste and cook until cheese is completely melted. Stir in fresh basil and roasted red peppers. Add cooked pasta and toss until the mixture is well combined, adding the rest of the 1/2 cup of pasta water if needed. Serve with grated parmesan, if desired.

Tagged as: asparagus, broccoli, pasta, primavera, spaghetti, summer squash, vegetables, vegetarian