Today I can officially say that spring has arrived, I’m so happy to be done with winter and heavy comfort foods, it’s time to lighten up! Today I’m sharing with you a fresh and fabulous pasta dish, it’s nice and light to welcome in the season, and it’s easy to make.
Spring vegetables are making their way into the stores right now so feel free to incorporate some of your own favorites into this dish. I chose pencil thin asparagus, a variety of gorgeous colored baby carrots, artichoke hearts, zucchini and fava beans.
The carrot and zucchini ribbons were made with a simple vegetable peeler, you could substitute fresh baby peas instead of the fava beans if you like, and replace the fresh for frozen artichoke hearts if you don’t want to do all that prep work.
The light fresh tomato sauce is what ties everything together, it’s simply roasted cherry tomatoes with a bit of garlic and olive oil. The roasting process makes the tomatoes burst and ooze juice that happily gets to mingle with the garlic. Now who wouldn’t want to toss their pasta into that?
For this recipe I chose a nice fettuccine, I think the curly strands look pretty with the zucchini and carrot ribbons.
Freshly grated shards of Parmigiano Reggiano tossed in and on top of the pasta enhances all the flavors above and beyond.
Wouldn’t you like to twirl your fork into this goodness?
Happy Spring!
- 12 ounces of dry fettuccine, cooked al dente
- 2 pints of various colored cherry tomatoes, sliced length wise
- 2 small garlic cloves, crushed finely
- 1 or 2 medium zucchini, made into ribbons
- 1 bunch of colored carrots, made into ribbons
- 1 bunch of pencil thin asparagus, each piece cut into three sections
- ½ cup of fava beans prepped and peeled, can substitute peas
- 1 cup of quartered artichoke hearts
- Parmigiano Reggiano shards, a generous amount to taste
- olive oil
- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place cherry tomato halves and garlic into a glass pan or a baking sheet lined with foil, add salt and pepper and roast until tomatoes burst and start to shrivel and caramelize, about 25 minutes.
- Make sure juice does not burn off ,as it's important to remember all oven temps vary, so keep watching. When tomatoes are done, set aside.
- In a large saucepan add a good drizzle of olive oil and add the zucchini and carrot ribbons, just sauteing until they start to limp.
- Add in the artichoke hearts, favas, and asparagus, toss gently and saute for a minute.
- Add the roasted tomatoes and all the juice, then toss in gently all the cooked pasta.
- Garnish with lots of Parmigiano Reggiano.
I’m Marie, a wife, mother, mother-in-law, and gramma of two beautiful girls. My passion is food, clear and simple but especially Italian food, hence the name of my blog, Proud Italian Cook. I want you to feel right at home here so grab a cup of coffee, I’ll get the pastries, take a look around and enjoy your visit! {
