pretty pasta

A few nights ago I was looking for a great main dish recipe to utilize all of the beautiful vegetables that are in my local market right now. This is bright and flavorful, and not too heavy for a summer supper. I followed the recipe pretty closely, but the few slight changes I made are in italics.

No-Cream Pasta Primavera
recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1 12-ounce package penne pasta
1 yellow squash, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 carrot, julienned
1/2 red bell pepper, julienned (I used a whole pepper)
1/2 pint grape tomatoes
1 cup fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
 5 spears asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (I used 10-12 spears)



1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 Tablespoon butter
1/4 large yellow onion, thinly sliced (I used a whole onion)
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (omitted)
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
13/ cup chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese (omitted)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne pasta and cook for 10-12 minutes or until al dente. Drain.

3. In a bowl, toss squash, zucchini, carrot, red bell pepper, tomatoes, green beans, and asparagus with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and Italian seasoning.

Arrange vegetables on the baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until tender.

4. Heat remaining olive oil and butter in a large skillet. Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook until tender. Mix in cooked pasta, lemon zest, basil, parsley, and balsamic vinegar. 

Gently toss and cook until heated through. Toss with roasted vegetables and sprinkle with Romano cheese to serve.