Pasta With Spring Vegetables
Pasta with Spring Vegetables – This simple pasta dish combines fresh spring vegetables with a creamy sauce and bright seasonings for a lovely pasta dish that you’ll crave all year long!
I’m snuggled up in a fleece, looking out the window at the cold rain, and pretending that I live someplace warm and sunny and spring is in full bloom and my garden is bursting with asparagus and spring onions just begging to be made into this delicious Pasta with Spring Vegetables.
Last week’s weather actually made this figment quite easy to contrive, but this week looks like it’s going to be a different story. Just keep pretending.
A Healthy and Delicious Springtime Meal
Fresh, earthy asparagus, flavorful springtime onions, and sweet peas get paired with a light yet flavorful sauce in this quick, easy, and satisfying pasta dish. It’s springtime on a plate!
Is Pasta with Spring Vegetables Healthy?
Most people think that pasta is fattening. And if you add a creamy sauce … well, then we have fattening on top of fattening. But this creamy pasta dish is different.
Instead of regular white pasta, I use Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta. Unlike other whole-grain pasta, Tinkyada pasta is not tough or heavy. In fact, it’s so light and delicious, most people think they’re eating white pasta. But it is whole-grain!
And for the sauce, I use my homemade Creamy Italian Salad Dressing. In addition to making a great topping for your salad, Creamy Italian Dressing is a fabulous sauce for over pasta, potatoes, and even rice.
Once you taste this super flavorful and lusciously creamy, vegan dressing, you’ll be amazed that it is actually good for you. And you’ll be even more amazed that it’s great for weight loss!
What’s Good is Always Better with Avocado
Sometimes I garnish this dish with diced avocado. Avocado not only adds creamy richness, but a good dose of vitamin K and folate as well.
Enjoy!
Pasta With Spring Vegetables
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked pasta - I recommend Tinkyada pasta.
- 16 green onions or 12 spring onions
- 1 pound fresh asparagus - (about 25 spears)
- 1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons minced, fresh parsley
- 2 – 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup pasta water from cooking pasta - or vegetable broth
- 1 cup frozen peas - or 1 pound fresh peas, shelled
- 1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives
- 2 teaspoons granulated onion
- 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
- 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup Jennifer's Kitchen Creamy Italian Salad Dressing
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- lemon wedges - optional
- ripe avocado dices - optional
Instructions
- Prepare pasta according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, slice green onions, using the white and light green part and discarding remaining. (You should have approximately 1 cup sliced onion.)
- Break woody ends off asparagus and discard. Cut asparagus into 3/4-inch pieces, leaving tips of spears a little longer.
- Sauté onions and asparagus in oil over heat for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add parsley and garlic and sauté for one more minute.
- Add water or broth, cover, and simmer until asparagus is tender-crisp (about 2 to 3 minutes).
- Stir in peas, chives, and seasonings. Cook 1 minute. There will be extra broth leftover; don’t drain it.
- Combine drained pasta, vegetable mixture, dressing, and lemon juice.
- Serve immediately with lemon wedges and diced avocado as desired.
>> One quick request: if you like this recipe, please leave a rating and a comment. Ratings help more people find these healthy recipes!
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Sounds fresh and a great way to brighten up a rainy day, Jennifer! It’s just as rainy down here in Sydney, and sadly we’re into autumn now so I’ll have to wait months before I can enjoy some sunny springtime veg…
Oh, so sad. But I guess you’re enjoying harvest time about now.
Thanks for your comment : )
I love vegetable pasta dishes and this looks great. Is there something I could use instead of the Italian Salad dressing since we try to avoid all added preservatives, colourings, etc. in our die? Thanks so much.
Hi Shirley,
The link for the Creamy Italian Salad dressing goes to a recipe of mine for a healthy homemade salad dressing. It’s absolutely delicious, and it has nothing but healthy, whole-food ingredients. I’m very sure you’ll enjoy!
This was just beautiful, had it for tea tonight. Lots of dressing left for salads and vegetable. Healthy eating at it’s best. You have made it so easy, thanks Jennifer
So glad you liked it, Helen. Thank you for your comment.
Wowza…this was good! Lots of layering of flavoring. We added everything you said, including the avocado, and then threw in some arugula with it as well. The dressing coated all of it beautifully. Love your use of seasonings in both this pasta part of this recipe and your yummy dressing. Thanks again!
Ack…didn’t click the starts in my review…5 stars!!
Aw, thank Nina. I’m so happy to hear you liked it!
Just made this tonight, it is so good. I put it on a bed of arugula like Nina said in her review. I topped it with avocado. I will definitely make it again.
That’s so good to hear, Laura. 🙂 Thanks for your comment!
I made this for a potluck and everyone LOVED it! I didn’t have asparagus so I used zucchini. 😊
I’m super delighted to hear that everyone loved this dish! What a great idea to use zucchini instead of asparagus! I’ll definitely have to try that. Thanks for the tip, and thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.