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Pasta Primavera

Penne tossed with oven-roasted summer vegetables and a light lemony butter-Parmesan sauce thinned with pasta water and stock. It eats as a bright, filling main that comes together in under an hour.

4 servings · 45 min · main · American · vegetarian

Ingredients

Main

  • 1 pound penne pasta, or your favorite pasta

Vegetables

  • 1 zucchini, medium
  • 1 yellow summer squash, medium
  • 1 bell pepper
  • 1 bunch broccoli
  • 4 ounce snow peas
  • 6–8 ounce cherry tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley
  • salt, to taste
  • black pepper, to taste

Sauce

  • 2 tablespoon butter
  • 2 shallot, sliced
  • 3–4 clove garlic, pressed
  • ¾ cup pasta cooking water
  • ½ cup vegetable stock
  • 1 lemon zest, zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 5–8 leaf fresh basil leaves, minced
  • ½–1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
  • salt, to taste

Method

  1. Pasta: Cook pasta in salted boiling water according to the instructions on the box and make sure to save some of the cooking water for the sauce. Drain pasta and set aside.
  2. Vegetables: Preheat oven to 425° and place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet.
  3. Chop vegetables and place all vegetables except onion, garlic, and tomatoes into a mixing bowl. (You will use onion and garlic in the sauce and stir tomatoes into the pasta at the end.)
  4. Toss vegetables with olive oil, lemon juice, dried parsley, salt, and pepper until evenly seasoned.
  5. Spread vegetables in one even layer on a parchment paper covered baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on how soft you want them.
  6. Sauce: Preheat a large pot of a large Dutch oven, and melt butter in it. Add sliced onion and sauté until golden brown.
  7. Add pressed garlic, stir in with onions, and sauté until fragrant and starts to brown as well.
  8. Mix cooking water from pasta, vegetable stock, and lemon juice in and pour it into the pot. Let it simmer for a few minutes.
  9. Stir in grated Parmesan cheese and some salt and pepper and let it cook for a few seconds, until cheese starts to melt and incorporate into the sauce.
  10. Stir in cooked pasta, vegetables, chopped tomatoes, minced basil, and lemon zest. Let it cook for just a couple more minutes as you mix everything together and serve!