Saturday, May 28, 2022

Spring Vegetable Pasta from @MysteryMacRae

 


This is a version of pasta primavera made with zucchini that’s overcooked just enough to turn it into a lovely sauce all on its own. Zucchinis and tiny tomatoes aren’t really spring vegetables, but they’re easy enough to find and help make the dish memorable. What also makes it memorable is how quickly it comes together.

 

Spring Vegetable Pasta

Adapted from The Complete Plant-based Cookbook from America’s Test Kitchen

 



Ignore the green onions. They snuck into the picture but not the dish.
They'd be a nice addition next time, though!

Ingredients

6 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved

6 tablespoons olive oil, divided

5 cloves garlic (1 minced, 4 sliced thin)

¾ teaspoon salt, divided, plus salt for cooking pasta

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced ¼ inch thick

⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut on bias into 1-inch lengths

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

¼ cup fresh chives

1 tablespoon lemon juice

12 ounces pasta (your choice)

Freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese to taste

2 tablespoons torn fresh mint leaves

 

Directions

Toss tomatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil, minced garlic, ¼ teaspoon salt, and pepper together in a small bowl. Set aside.



Bring 4 quarts salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain pasta and return to pot.

While pasta is cooking, heat remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat until shimmering. Add zucchini, red pepper flakes, sliced garlic, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt and cook, covered, until zucchini softens and breaks down, 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add asparagus, peas, and ¾ cup water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover and cook until asparagus is crisp-tender, about 2 minutes.





Add vegetable mixture, chives, lemon juice, and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to pasta and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowl, sprinkle with grated cheese. Spoon tomatoes and their juices over the top and sprinkle with the mint leaves.


Happy spring!

 

 






The Boston Globe says Molly MacRae writes “murder with a dose of drollery.” She’s the author of the award-winning, national bestselling Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries and the Highland Bookshop Mysteries. As Margaret Welch, she writes books for Annie’s Fiction. Her short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and she’s a winner of the Sherwood Anderson Award for Short Fiction. Visit Molly on Facebook and Pinterest and connect with her on Twitter  or Instagram.

 

8 comments:

  1. Sounds yummy - any time of the year!
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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  2. Excellent recipe! Must try it now that there are so many wonderful veggies coming up! Thank you for sharing! luis at ole dot travel

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  3. I bet the mint adds just the right finishing flavor touch.
    Sounds lovely.

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    1. It does, Libby. Mint can be such a nice surprising ingredient.

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  4. I love your Highland Bookshop Mysteries and the Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries so I need to add your stand-alones & short stories & the books written as Margaret Welch to my TBR stack. I didn't know about those! The pasta recipe looks really good and very easy to put together. It's on my TBT list (to-be-tried). :)

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    1. So glad you like the books, Linda! I hope you like the recipe, too. Thanks for stopping by!

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