I have never been big on veggie dishes. What can I say, I like meat! But since starting Biggest Loser I have had to incorporate more veggies into my diet. It isn't easy trying to find recipes that are both healthy AND tasty! So I was happy to find this Pasta Primavera recipe on one of my favorite recipe sites! Click on the link to see step by step pictures...I didn't take any of my own this time.
What You Need:
1 cup Bite-sized Broccoli Pieces (up to 1 1/2 Cups)
½ whole Onion Diced Finely
3 cloves To 4 Cloves Garlic, Chopped Finely
2 whole Medium To Large Carrots, Sliced On The Bias (diagonally)
2 whole Medium Zucchini, Sliced On The Bias (diagonally)
1 whole Medium Yellow Squash (optional)
1 container (about 5 Oz.) White Button Or Baby Porcini Mushrooms, Roughly Sliced
1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Sliced Into Strips
4 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 pound Pasta (She used Penne, I used Faralle)
FOR THE SAUCE:
¼ cups Dry White Wine (up To 1/2 Cup), Optional (replace with additional broth if not using)
½ cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1 cup Whipping (heavy) Cream
1 cup Half-and-half
½ cups Grated Parmesan Cheese
5 leaves Basil (or More To Taste), Plus Extra For Garnish
½ cups Frozen Peas
The Steps:
First, prep the vegetables. Chop the broccoli into bite-sized pieces, about 1 to 1 ½ cups worth. Dice half a yellow onion. Chop 3 to 4 cloves of garlic. Slice carrots on the bias (diagonally), and do the same for the zucchini and yellow squash. Roughly slice the mushrooms and slice the red pepper (seeded) into strips.
Heat 2 tablespoons butter with 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic together and cook for a minute or two, until they start to turn translucent. Then throw in the broccoli. Stir, and add in the carrots.
Stir it around, cooking it for only a minute, tops. Transfer the mixture to a plate. Add in the red pepper strips to the skillet. Stir them around for a minute or so, then transfer them to the plate.
Add pasta to slightly salted boiling water and cook to al dente.
Add a tablespoon of butter to the skillet. Add squash and zucchini, cook for less than a minute, then transfer to plate. Cook mushrooms for a minute or two (add salt to taste), and again transfer to the plate.
FOR THE SAUCE
To make the sauce, pour ¼ to ½ cup dry white wine into the skillet (see note below). Add ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth, a tablespoon of butter and scrape the bottom of the skillet to pull up the flavor left behind by the veggie cooking. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the liquid starts to thicken.
Add 1 cup whipping cream and 1 cup half-and-half. Measure out ½ cup grated Parmesan; add to the skillet. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chiffonade 5 to 6 fresh basil leaves and add that to the sauce; stir.
Dump veggies and mushrooms into the sauce along with ½ cup frozen peas right out of the freezer. Add pasta al dente and stir. If the sauce seems a little thick, or if there doesn’t seem to be enough sauce, add a good splash of chicken broth and a little more half-and-half. Top with more Parmesan, salt, pepper, and basil to taste.
Note: if you’re averse to wine, add chicken broth instead. But watch the salt later.
The Verdict:
For a dish with no meat, this was surprisingly very filling, but more importantly very tasty! I made some healthier substitutions to the sauce by skipping the whipping cream and using whole milk instead, along with the half and half. The Doc was a BIG fan and even the boys enjoyed it. This is going to have to be a regular dish in our rotation!
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