One-Pot Pasta Primavera

4-6 Servings

Recipe from Oh My Veggies 

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

I was skeptical about this one-pot pasta craze, but I gave it a whirl and have to agree that it was easy to do and turned out very tasty as well.  The sauce was thinner than the usual primavera, but still tasted great.  The best part was that the pasta was perfectly cooked and so were the veggies.  I followed the recipe exactly.  Now, I’m very interested in trying other one-pot pasta dinners.  (My hubby and I also enjoyed the leftovers.  I just zapped them in the microwave the next day for a nice lunch.)

4 cups vegetable broth

8 ounces whole-wheat linguine or spaghetti, uncooked** (Select a dried pasta that has a cooking time of between 9 and 11 minutes. Otherwise, you may end up with under-cooked pasta, or worse, mushy mush.)

1 small onion, halved and sliced thin

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

1 ½ pounds asparagus, ends snapped off and cut into 2-inch pieces

4 ounces sliced mushrooms (about 1 cup)

4 large cloves garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 Tablespoons olive oil

¾ cup frozen peas

1 small handful fresh parsley, chopped (about ½ cup chopped)

¼ 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. (Use a heavy, roomy pot. There will be lots of stirring and tossing.) 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.  (Once it starts boiling, be sure to toss and stir constantly! Otherwise the pasta will start sticking.)  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.