Summer Vegetable Pasta

This quick and easy pasta recipe is perfect for busy weeknights - and uses some of your favorite spring and summer vegetables!

this recipe

I think I have a new favorite dinner.

(I'm talking about this recipe. If that wasn't clear. This recipe is my new favorite dinner). Do you want it to be your new favorite dinner, too? Yeah? I thought so. You should probably make it immediately.

My favorite thing about summer is how much amazing produce pops up. The only problem is that I get WAY too excited every time I see beautiful fruits and veggies, so I end up buying some of everything and then it's a race to eat it all before it spoils. I end up organizing my entire life around the timeframe of freshness for an apple or a rutabaga or something. Which reminds me...I have a rutabaga in my fridge that I need to eat STAT.

Anywho. Making pasta like this is one of my favorite ways to use a bunch of veggies all at once. Throw in whatever you've got handy, and bam! Deliciousness. (See also: Our easy caprese chicken pasta recipe.)

I used peas, mushrooms, onions, and broccoli this time around, but here is a list of other things I would have totally included had they been in my fridge (I love lists): red peppers! black olives! green beans! parsley! (actually, I had parsley, but it was growing outside and walking all the way down my stairs was WAYYYY too much effort).

But seriously. This pasta is SO GOOD. And it was SO EASY to make. Kyle was working on resumé stuff so I was all, "I'll make you some dinner!" And after a moment of initial panic about the sheer number of possibilities I had after that day's veggie-buying binge, this pasta was born. I ate two helpings. And then I heated up all of the leftovers for the next day's lunch. And it was excellent.

Summer Vegetable Pasta

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

• Author: Jessie
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 Servings 1x
• Category: Pasta
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

This quick and easy pasta recipe is perfect for busy weeknights – and uses some of your favorite spring and summer vegetables!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 pound spaghetti or fettucine (I used half of each because my pantry was running low!)
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ large yellow onion, sliced
• 12 oz. fresh white button or crimini mushrooms, sliced (about 4 cups of sliced mushrooms)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups fresh broccoli, chopped
• 1 cup english peas (fresh is good, but frozen works just as well)
• ½ cup half-and-half
• 6 Tbsp. butter, chilled
• ⅔ cup parmesan cheese, grated, for garnish

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Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to recipe or package directions in very salty water.
2. While pasta cooks, prepare the sauce. In a large pot or high-walled saucepan (large enough to fit the cooked pasta!) heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
3. Add minced garlic and sliced onions to olive oil and cook until onions have softened, about 1 minute.
4. Add sliced mushrooms to the pan and stir to coat with oil. Cook for about five minutes, until mushrooms have reduced and started to caramelize.
5. Add salt, pepper, broccoli, and peas to saucepan. Cook until veggies have turned bright green, about two minutes.
6. Add half-and-half (or cream, or milk – whatever you’ve got on hand!) to saucepan and bring to a low simmer.
7. Add one Tbsp. of butter to the sauce at a time, stirring well and melting each pat of butter between each addition.
8. When you’ve added all the butter to the sauce and the pasta is cooked, add the pasta to the sauce and toss to coat. This isn’t a heavy sauce – it’s just enough to coat the pasta. If you want it to be heartier/saucier, increase the amounts of half-and-half and butter you use.
9. Garnish with parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2 cups
• Calories: 940
• Sugar: 8.6 g
• Sodium: 875 mg
• Fat: 49.6 g
• Carbohydrates: 99.6 g
• Protein: 29.4 g
• Cholesterol: 56.8 mg

Keywords: dinner, easy