Light and Easy Pasta Primavera

Here’s a simple dish my Mom and I prepared together recently. It’s light, nutritious and perfect for vegetable lovers. Pasta Primavera.

What you’ll need:
Zucchini, 3 pieces
Carrots, 4 pieces
White onions, 3 pieces
Red Bell Pepper, 4 pieces — if you have yellow, use yellow because it’s sweeter!
Pasta Bows, 250 grams — or whatever shape you’re into
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Dried Herbs, 1 tablespoon per kind –Tarragon, Thyme, Basil, Rosemary, Oregano, Sage… if you don’t have all, that’s okay, and if you have fresh herbs, even better.
Cherry Tomatoes, 8 pieces

What you’ll do:
1. Preheat your oven.
2. Slice all the veggies into thin strips and lay them out on a baking pan. Don’t worry if they look crowded. If you’d like to use more veggies, go ahead and slice up some more. You can’t have too many in this dish.
3. In a bowl, combine all the herbs.
4. Get your olive oil and drizzle it over the veggies. Sprinkle the veggies with your herb mix, and add salt and pepper according to your taste.
5. Roast your vegetables for 20 minutes.
6. Cook your pasta according to package directions. Drain when done.
7. When both your veggies and pasta are ready, toss them together in a serving bowl. Garnish with cherry tomatoes, then sprinkle your dish with lots of Parmesan cheese. Let it sit for awhile before serving.

I like this dish because the flavors are very simple. I love the sweetness of the roasted veggies combined with al dente pasta and Parmesan cheese. Yum! In the future, I’d like to add a little bit of butter to the vegetables, and add broccoli, mushrooms and asparagus to the veggie list.

Other versions of this dish have a creamy white sauce. That’s also very delicious but may not be as health-friendly. You can also used crushed tomatoes for a tangy sauce. Mmmmm. I like this version though because it’s light and I can appreciate the flavor of the roasted veggies more.

Hi! I'm Toni Tiu, and I've been blogging at at Wifely Steps since 2003. This started as a blog to help newly weds adjust to married life. It has evolved into a home and parenting blog. I write about things close to my heart -- good eats, good reads, family, marriage, and the little things that make everyday happy.