ANY KIND OF VEGGIE PASTA

If you’re craving pasta, this is a wonderful, and (somewhat) healthy indulgence using fresh vegetables, herbs, and a light sauce made with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, a little Pecorino. It’s a great alternative if you’re trying to have a few meatless dinners during the week or are looking for some vegetarian options to rotate into your repertoire.

Our intention is for this recipe to be used as more of a “guide”, so you can incorporate any vegetables you have on hand. This is also one of those recipes that can change with the seasons-or your cravings-throughout the year. Fresh peas or asparagus in the spring, tomatoes and zucchini in the summer, broccoli and squash in the fall, or cauliflower, spinach, and mushrooms in the winter. It can be a new creation every time!

Any Kind of Veggie Pasta

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian, Mediterranean

Servings 2

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 8 Asparagus Spears, cut on extreme diagonal, so they are thin long strips Separate Asparagus Tips and Stalks, set aside
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 Cup Sugar Snap Peas, cut on diagonal
• 1/2 Medium Zucchini Cut in half lengthwise, and cut into 1/4” slices
• 2 Cloves of Garlic Sliced or Chopped
• 1 Lemon Zest and Juice, set aside
• 1/2 Cup Pasta Water, reserved from cooked pasta
• 1/2 Cup Pecorino finely grated, plus extra for garnish
• 4 Ounces Spaghetti Dried, not fresh. **Or, Gluten Free
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp Dill, or your favorite fresh herb or combo of herbs Chopped – *See Notes
• 1 Tbsp Chives Chopped

Instructions

 

• Using a stock pot, fill with water and a couple of large pinches of salt. Bring to a boil, add Spaghetti, and cook up to 1 minute under recommended cooking time.

  **(If you are using Gluten Free pasta, cook 2-3 minutes under recommended cooking time. The brands all vary widely, and it can overcook and turn to mush in seconds.)

  **(You will not drain the pasta, and will need to have the reserved pasta water for the sauce.)
• While the Pasta is Cooking:

  In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the Olive Oil and add the Garlic. Gently cook for 30 seconds, stirring so it does not burn.

  Add the Asparagus Stalks, Snap Peas, and Zucchini. Sauté for 3-4 minutes until cooked but still crisp.

  Add the Asparagus Tips, and continue to sauté for another 1 minute.
• Directly from the stock pot, add the cooked Spaghetti to the pan with the vegetables. Incorporate all the ingredients together, using tongs.
• Add the Lemon Zest, Lemon Juice, and 1/2 of the Pasta Water. Stir together and add the grated Pecorino. 
• Using a “swirling” motion with the pan, swirl the mixture in a circular motion for about 1 minute. (This “swirling” motion-rather than stirring-creates an emulsified sauce. (This should not take longer than 1-2 minutes. This step is intended to finish cooking the pasta and create a lovely sauce.) 

  *If the pasta seems a little “sticky”, add a little more pasta water to get the sauce to a velvety consistency-a little at a time.
• Turn off the heat and immediately twirl the pasta into your serving dishes.
• Garnish with additional grated Pecorino, Lemon Zest, and Dill-or your favorite herbs.

Notes

1. ALTERNATIVELY: If you feel pinched for time cooking the veggies while the pasta is cooking, you can cook the veggies first, and remove them from the heat. Then, cook your pasta, and when it’s a minute or so from being finished, put your veggies back on the heat to get them hot again, and then continue, starting with step 4. 

2. Use ANY VEGGIEs or HERBS: Please use this as a guide. You can incorporate ANY vegetables you like, along with your favorite fresh herbs.

When cooking, just start with the vegetables that take the longest to cook, or blanch them a couple of minutes before beginning. We’ve used peas, okra, yellow squash, cherry tomatoes, baby spinach, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. *(Broccoli and cauliflower are those you would blanch).  Frozen vegetables work too, however they should be thawed before using. 

Herbs provide limitless variations. We’ve used parsley, cilantro, tarragon, thyme, basil, oregano, or a combo of two or three. 

3.  The Video below shows how we finish the sauce of the pasta, starting at Step 4 in the recipe. 

 

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!