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Healthy family recipe: Pasta primavera

Celebrate the season with this colorful and healthy dish!

Though the recent weather may indicate otherwise, it is technically spring time. Celebrate the season with this colorful dish.  Feel free to substitute different vegetables and whole wheat pasta shapes to make this recipe year-round.

Pasta Primavera

Ingredients:

  1. 3 carrots, washed, peeled and cut into thin strips

  2. 2 medium zucchini or 1 large zucchini, washed and cut into thin strips

  3. 2 yellow squash, washed and cut into thin strips

  4. 1 onion, thinly sliced

  5. 1 yellow bell pepper, washed and cut into thin strips

  6. 1 red bell pepper, washed and cut into thin strips

  7. 1/4 cup olive oil

  8. Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  9. 1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs

  10. 1 pound whole wheat pasta, any shape

  11. 15 cherry tomatoes, washed and halved

  12. 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, toss all of the vegetables with the oil, salt, pepper, and dried herbs to coat. Transfer the vegetable mixture to two heavy large baking sheets. Roast until the carrots are tender and the vegetables begin to brown, stirring after the first 10 minutes, about 20 minutes total.
3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite.  Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
4.Toss the pasta with the vegetable mixture in a large bowl to combine. Toss with the cherry tomatoes and enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten.
5. Season the pasta with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve immediately.

Serves 6

Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

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