Month-of-One-Pan Meals: Pasta Primavera

Welcome to my annual Month-of Recipes on this blog. Go rummaging in the attic here and you’ll find past recipe months for appetizers, chicken, soup, mini-desserts, and more. The way it works is, for each day in February I post a recipe that fits the category. This month is one-pan meals, excluding pizza, most casseroles, and slow cooker recipes.

I shared a similar recipe on this blog last year. One-Pot Spaghetti was part of the inspiration for doing the one-pot theme this year. That and the explosion of recipes for one-pot/one-pan recipes all over the Internet. I see at least one a day during the time I’m cruising social media.

This recipe differs from last year in the kinds of ingredients and in the color. Check out the greens in this thing! This one is meatless, too, unless my other one-pot spaghetti.

What makes this recipe harder than last year’s is the amount of prep. Not onerous, but more than the other one-pot spaghetti had. Both needed to be attended to with constant stirring to keep things moving, allowing the very full pot to cook both veggies and pasta. But all in all, it takes 20-25 minutes from start to finish. That’s pretty darn good.

Oh, and don’t let the long list of ingredients scare you off. The first 11 ingredients (out of 16) go in the pot first thing! The last five are added near the end.

This One-Pot Pasta Primavera recipe comes from “Oh My Veggies”. I made it as described (for once!).

 

One-Pot Pasta Primavera (serves 4-6)

4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

8 ounces linguine or spaghetti, uncooked

1 small onion, halved and sliced thin

1 pound broccoli crowns, cut into large florets (about 2 cups)

1 1/2 pounds asparagus, ends snapped off and cut into 2-inch pieces

4 ounces sliced white button mushrooms (about 1 cup)

4 large cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (less for milder heat; more to increase heat)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 cup frozen peas

1 small handful fresh parsley, chopped (about 1/2 cup chopped)

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest

Additional salt and pepper to taste

Additional Parmesan cheese for serving, if desired

Add the broth, linguine, onion, broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to a large pot set over high heat. Drizzle the olive oil over the top.

As soon as it comes to a boil, set the timer for 7 minutes and start tossing constantly with long-handled tongs.

Continue boiling and tossing. As soon as the 7 minutes is up, add the peas, parsley, heavy whipping cream, Parmesan, and lemon zest and continue cooking, tossing constantly, for 1-2 more minutes, until the pasta and veggies appear tender. Remove from heat.

Note that much of the liquid will have evaporated, but not all. And that’s okay! Let the pasta sit for a couple of minutes to cool; the sauce will continue to thicken during that time. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if desired. Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese.

DH’s Rating: 3 Tongues Up

He didn't even want to rate it! He just didn’t think this was all that tasty. I did. What can I say? He doesn’t want me to make it again, so I won’t, but your taste buds and his may not be the same. Try it if it sounds good to you.