Pasta Primavera

I love zucchini.  I believe it's my favorite vegetable.  Unfortunately, zucchini is quite expensive in Taiwan.  I was hankering for some yummy vegetables a couple months ago and decided to splurge on 3 zucchinis.  This recipe was amazing!  It is definitely restaurant worthy.  You can make it as healthier by using less cream.  I did that a couple times, and it still was delicious.  Buon appetito!

Pasta Primavera  
    Recipe adapted from Simply Recipes

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound angel hair pasta or spaghetti  (I used penne pasta)
• 1 small bunch broccoli, about 1 heaping cup of florets
• 1 small zucchini, diced
• 1 small carrot, shredded
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 3 Roma or other paste tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 12 basil leaves, chopped
• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 1/4 cup chicken broth (I used McKay's vegetable broth for a vegetarian option)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Salt

METHOD

1 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 2 minutes.  Remove 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 broccoli in, or you can start over and boil new water; I use the same water.

2 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.

3 Pour in the chicken or vegetable broth and turn the heat to high to bring it to a boil. Add the cream and toss in the broccoli you boiled. Stir to combine. Turn the heat down until the cream-chicken broth mixture is just simmering, not boiling.

4 Add parmesan cheese (optional) 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.

5 Boil the pasta. Note: 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 1-2 minutes to cook, vermicelli or spaghetti can take 8-12 minutes.

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.

Yield: Serves 4.