Pasta Primavera!

It's spring. Or so they say, even though the weather seems more like fall. Nevertheless, I'm celebrating spring with Pasta Primavera(means spring in Italian).

This is one of the easiest dishes to make and so versatile. You can use pretty much any vegetables you like and any pasta too.

I used fresh broccoli, summer squash, green beans, carrots, portabella mushrooms, black & green olives, shallot and celery.

First I prepared all the veggies-(washed, peeled and cut-up). Then I put them in a pie plate with a tiny bit of water and microwaved them on high for about 8-9 minutes depending on the amount of veggies and your microwave. (You can skip this step if you like your veggies crisp).

Next, I drained the water, coated them with some extra virgin olive oil, garlic powder, italian seasoning, salt and pepper and roasted them in a 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes. This step is important because it caramelizes them a bit which gives this dish great flavor.

Then I chopped a small shallot, mixed it with some e.v.olive oil and microwaved on low for about 2 minutes. Next, I just mixed all the veggies, shallot and cooked farfale (bow tie pasta), and a small amount of reserved pasta water together. Sprinkled on some grated parmigiano, romano cheese and fresh chopped parsely. That's it.

For a little more heartiness, I broiled a chicken cutlet and sliced it over the pasta.

Try it, you'll like it!