Healthy Pasta Primavera Recipes

HEALTHY PASTA PRIMAVERA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in an extra-large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add asparagus, mushrooms, and squash; cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, carrot, garlic, oregano, black pepper, salt, and red pepper flakes; cook until tomatoes begin to soften, about 1 minute.
• Drain penne; stir into vegetable mixture along with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Top servings with remaining cheese and serve with lemon wedges.

CHICKEN PASTA PRIMAVERA

Steps:

• For sauce, in a small saucepan heat oil over medium. Add onion and garlic; cook 3 to 4 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in cauliflower and broth. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 15 minutes or until tender; cool slightly. Transfer to a food processor. Add the water, cheese, salt and black pepper. Cover and process until smooth.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions, adding broccoli and sweet pepper the last 5 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water.
• Coat a 10-inch skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium. Add chicken; cook 10 minutes or until done (165 degrees F), turning once. Stir in sauce and pasta mixture. Heat through, stirring in enough of the reserved pasta cooking water if needed to reach desired consistency. Serve topped with basil and, if desired, lemon zest and additional cheese.

PASTA PRIMAVERA

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Cook garlic until soft, about 1 minute. Add peppers and cook until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, asparagus and tomatoes and cook until softened, an additional 5 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute more. Add chicken stock, milk, salt and pepper and bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook until liquid has thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in carrot strips.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water. Toss pasta with vegetables and sauce. Add pasta water, if necessary, to loosen mixture. Serve garnished with Parmesan, parsley and basil.

HEALTHY PASTA PRIMAVERA

Steps:

• Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and put a steamer (or colander) over the water. Steam the beans, asparagus and peas until just tender, then set aside. Boil the pasta following pack instructions.
• Meanwhile, fry the leeks gently in the oil and butter for 5 mins or until soft. Add the fromage frais to the leeks and very gently warm through, stirring constantly to ensure it doesn't split. Add the herbs and steamed vegetables with a splash of pasta water to loosen.
• Drain the pasta and stir into the sauce. Adjust the seasoning, then serve scattered with the cheese and drizzled with a little extra olive oil.

PASTA PRIMAVERA

Steps:

• Gently melt the butter with the parsley, chives and mint and set aside in a warm place. Prepare all the vegetables: shell the peas, wash the carrots and trim away any leaves but leave a short green stalk in place (the stalk is edible but it is also there to show the vegetable is freshly harvested!), thickly slice the courgettes and trim the green beans.
• Bring 2 large pans of water to the boil (one for the pasta, one for the veg). Lightly salt the water in one of the pans, add the pasta to it and cook until al dente (10-12 minutes or according to the cooking instructions on the packet). While the pasta cooks, add the carrots to the other pan and cook for 2 minutes. Next throw in the peas, green beans and courgettes and continue to cook for 3 minutes. Drain both the pasta and the vegetables well. Return the pasta to the hot pan with a splash of olive oil, half the herb butter and the lemon zest and juice. Return the vegetables to their pan, toss with the rest of the herb butter and season well with salt and pepper.
• Spoon the pasta on to serving plates, grind some black pepper over and serve with the vegetables on top. Scatter on as much basil as you like and serve straight away.