Classic Pasta Primavera

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 heaping cup broccoli florets

4 asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 1-inch segments

1/2 cup snow peas

1/2 pound angel hair pasta or spaghetti

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 small zucchini, diced

3 Roma or other paste tomatoes, seeded and diced

1/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup peas, fresh or frozen

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

12 basil leaves, chopped

Salt

Directions

Blanch the broccoli, asparagus, snow peas: Get a large pot of water boiling. Salt it well. It should taste like the sea. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Boil the broccoli for 1 minute. Add the asparagus and boil another minute. Add the snow peas and boil for 30 more seconds. Remove all the vegetables and plunge them into the ice water. Once they’re cool, drain in a colander. If you want, you can boil your pasta in the same pot you boiled the vegetables in, or you can start over and boil new water; I use the same water.

Sauté the zucchini and garlic, then add the tomatoes: In a large sauté pan, heat the butter over medium-high heat. When the butter is hot, add the garlic and zucchini and sauté 1 minute. Add the diced tomatoes and sauté another 2 minutes, stirring often.

Add the stock, cream, blanched vegetables, and peas: Pour in the chicken or vegetable stock and turn the heat to high to bring it to a boil. Add the cream and toss in all the vegetables you boiled, plus the peas. Stir to combine. Turn the heat down until the cream-chicken broth mixture is just simmering, not boiling.

Add the Parmesan: Add the Parmesan cheese and stir to combine. If the sauce seems too thick—it should be pretty thick, but not gloppy—add some more chicken broth, cream or water.

Boil the pasta: If you are using spaghetti, you will want to start cooking it before you begin sautéing the garlic and zucchini. Angel hair will only need 1 to 2 minutes to cook, vermicelli or spaghetti can take 8 to 12 minutes.

Toss the pasta and serve: As soon as the pasta is done, transfer it with tongs into the sauce and stir to combine. Add the basil now, and taste for salt. Add salt if needed. Grind some black pepper over everything and serve immediately. You will want a dry white wine with this, ideally a dry white.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: Serves 4
• Calories: 411 kcal
• Total Fat: 27 g
• Saturated Fat: 16 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 75 mg
• Sodium: 429 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 33 g
• Dietary Fiber: 5 g
• Total Sugars: 7 g
• Protein: 12 g