Recipe By : Heidi Rabel
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:15
Categories : Vegetable Pasta
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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1 pound fresh pasta -- 1/2 pound dried
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic -- peeled and sliced
3 cups prepped raw vegetables
such as onion, pepper, squash,
mushrooms, eggplant, spinach, or chard
1/4 cup fresh basil -- chopped
1 large tomato
peeled, seeded, and chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes -- crushed
kosher salt -- to taste
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese -- grated
Bring 1 gallon of water to a boil in a large pot. Add dried pasta, and cook to
al dente-to the tooth- (just soft enough so that it still must be chewed).
Drain in a colander. For fresh pasta, turn the heat down to low, cover the pot
and hold water on warm until the vegetables are almost done before you cook
the pasta. Put oil and garlic into a large skillet. Turn the heat to medium
and cook the garlic just until it begins to color, not beyond or it will burn
and be bitter. Add the vegetables in the order that they will cook, starting
with those that will take the longest. Move them constantly with a spatula so
they will not overcook in one spot. For fresh pasta, reboil the water at this
point, and cook the pasta during final minutes of cooking the vegetables.
Drain. Add the herbs to the vegetables and mix to distribute. When the
vegetables are almost cooked (still a bit too crunchy), add canned tomato and
crushed pepper flakes, turn the heat down to low, and simmer for 3-4 minutes
to blend the flavors. Taste and add kosher salt if necessary.
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NOTES : This quick, easy, and straight forward pasta recipe has been dinner
hundreds of times in my house. Timing is important: fresh pasta cooks in 3 - 5
minutes, but dried pasta takes up to 12 - 15 minutes. I usually cook dried
pasta first, drain it, toss it with 1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil and cover it while
the vegetables cook. To serve, transfer the cooked, drained pasta to the
plates (with tongs) or to a pasta platter. Ladle the vegetables over the pasta
and garnish each serving with 2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese. Yield: 4 servings.
