pasta primavera

Last week was a carb-y sort of week. No wait, that's every week. Every day, even.

If I don't have some kind of bread, or pancake, or cookie, or pasta, or Cap'n Crunch, it's a sad day. I cannot live by protein alone. I wish, but I can't.

But one of the things I made for dinner was this primavera, and I would say it's healthy, because I mean, look at that entire cookie sheet full of vegetables. You could put that in cookies and call them healthy...but why would you inflict that kind of pain on some poor innocent cookies?

This pasta is light and delicious and a fantastic way to use up vegetables. I felt pretty good about it.

Pasta Primavera

Adapted from Giada's recipe

Serves 2-3

3 small carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips

1 medium zucchini, cut into thin strips

1/2 of an onion, thinly sliced (I used sweet)

1 pepper, cut into thin strips 

2 T. Olive oil (I used lemon infused)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tablespoon Herbs de Provence

1/2 lb. pasta of your choice

1/2 cup chopped tomatoes or halved cherry tomatoes

1/4 cup grated parmesan, plus extra for topping

1-2 T. Butter

Chopped basil, for topping 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

On a large heavy baking sheet, toss all of the vegetables with the oil, salt, pepper, and dried herbs to coat. Arrange evenly over the baking sheet. Bake until the carrots are tender and the vegetables begin to brown, stirring after the first 7-8 minutes, about 15 minutes total.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, about 8-10 minutes, depending on what pasta you are using. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.
Toss the pasta with the vegetable mixtures in a large bowl to combine. Add the cherry tomatoes and about a tablespoon of butter, or more to your taste, and toss to combine and melt the butter. Add a little of the reserved cooking liquid if the pasta needs moistening. Toss with 1/4 cup of parmesan and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with the extra parmesan and the basil and serve immediately.