Pasta Primavera

I really don't think that anything beats a bowl full of satisfying pasta filled with herbs freshly picked from the garden and flavourful vegetables. To me, it's a dish that just cries out SUMMER! It's also the perfect summer recipe for me because I always seem to be on the go in the summer and don't have a lot of time to prepare big meals. This is an easy recipe that I created for pasta primavera that is short on time but big on flavour! This time I prepared it with a bought stuffed pasta (Presidents Choice Campania Tomato Mozzarella and Basil) which tasted wonderful together, but this recipe works just as well with regular penne, rotini/fusilli, or even your favourite ribbon pasta! You can also play around with different vegetables. The vegetables I used today just happen to be what I had in my fridge, but basically anything works! If you are looking for vegetables to add to this dish in the grocery store, look for different coloured vegetables to make this dish really pop!

Note: Adjust amounts of ingredients depending on how much pasta you are using

Tip: To make this dish even more healthy, use whole wheat pasta.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup equal parts fresh basil, parsley, rosemary, and chives, chopped

asparagus, chopped

grape tomatoes, halved

red peppers, julienned

carrots, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup tomato sauce

freshly ground pepper

freshly ground parmesan cheese

1 tsp crushed garlic

Directions:

1. Cook pasta till it is al dente.

2. While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil and garlic on medium heat in a medium skillet. Be careful not to burn the garlic or it will develop a bitter taste.

3. Add all vegetables except grape tomatoes to oil and sautee, stirring regularly.

4. Add fresh herbs and tomato sauce to vegetables. Toss with cooked pasta and season with pepper. Finish with freshly ground parmesan cheese and grape tomatoes.