Pasta primavera
6
Points®
Total time: 37 min • Prep: 25 min • Cook: 12 min • Serves: 4 • Difficulty: Easy
This pasta dish is full of fresh, spring vegetables, like asparagus, snap peas, and summer squash, and is fun and colorful and extremely delicious. Use small, whole basil leaves or pile up some bigger ones and slice them into thin pieces so it doesn't overwhelm the rest of the ingredients. We also call for frozen peas and canned artichoke hearts to cut back on the preparation time, but if you don’t mind the extra prep work, you can substitute 1/2 cup of shelled fresh peas for the frozen peas and 6 steamed, fresh artichoke hearts for the canned ones. It makes quite a difference for a recipe that celebrates the best of bountiful spring produce.
Ingredients
Uncooked whole wheat pasta
8 oz
Table salt
⅛ tsp
Olive oil
4 tsp
Asparagus
8 oz
Sugar snap peas
4 oz
Uncooked yellow summer squash
1 small
Canned artichoke hearts, drained
13¾ oz
Garlic
1 clove(s)
Grape tomatoes
1 cup(s)
Frozen green peas
½ cup(s)
Table salt
¼ tsp
Black pepper
¼ tsp
Fresh basil
½ cup(s)
Instructions
1
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; add pasta and cook according to package directions.
2
Meanwhile, heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add asparagus, snap peas and squash. Cook vegetables, stirring often, until vegetables are almost crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in artichoke hearts and garlic; cook and stir over low heat until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3
Stir in tomatoes, peas, salt and pepper. Scoop out 1/3 cup of pasta cooking water and add it to skillet. Cook, tossing ingredients, until tomatoes soften slightly and vegetables are crisp-tender, about 1 minute.
4
Drain pasta; return pasta to pot. Add vegetable mixture, basil and remaining 2 teaspoons of oil to pot; toss to mix and coat. Serve immediately. Yields about 2 1/4 cups per serving.
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