When we are craving a delectable vegetarian pasta and in the mood to make it at home, I love to make it with winter vegetables just like at our local Italian restaurant. 

About the recipe

Pasta at our local Italian restaurant The Pastaria & Market in downtown Los Gatos has some of the best pasta dishes around. Their vegetarian pasta primavera is one of the most delicious pastas we have ever tasted. A few surprise veggies that make this pasta taste outstanding are winter vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, little radishes, cauliflower, and broccoli. No matter what time of year we order this pasta primavera, it always tastes amazing.

To make something similar at home I pack in a wide variety of vegetables and take a short cut with store-bought marinara sauce and just pump up the flavor with extra garlic, olives, marinated artichokes and chili flakes.

With plenty of good for you veggies and tons of flavor, this is a hearty, healthy, easy and delicious pasta to make at any time of year.  This really is an awesome feel-good pasta with lots of good for you veggies and flavorful marinara sauce.  Give this recipe a try!

Pasta Primavera with Winter Vegetables

Ingredients:

• 1 lb pasta of your choice
• 1 jar of your favorite store-bought pasta sauce
• 8 cloves garlic finely crushed
• 1/2 tsp red chili flakes (optional)
• 1 cup Brussels sprouts cut into quarters
• 1 cup radish cut into quarters or turnips
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 2 cups cauliflower florets
• 1 cup baby carrots peeled and cut into small pieces
• 1 fennel bulb cut into thin slices
• 1 red bell pepper cut into small chunks
• 1 cup marinatd artichokes
• 1/2 cup marinated olives
• 4-5 tbsp sundried tomatoes cut into small pieces
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Toss together all the vegetables with 4 tbsp olive oil and 4 garlic crushed cloves. Spread on a thin layer on two baking sheets and roast vegetables until veggies are cooked.  About 30 – 40 minutes.  Make sure to stir the vegetables after 20 minutes as you continue to roast them. Set aside.
• In a large pot heat 1- 2 tbsp oil and sauté remaining 4 crushed garlic cloves for a few seconds. Add red chili flakes and all the roasted vegetables, salt, and toss together. Cook for 5 minutes.

• Add the entire jar of marinara sauce, olives, sundried tomatoes and mix into the vegetables.  Cover and heat through until sauce is hot and bubbly, about 5 minutes.

• In the meantime make the pasta according to package directions. Strain the pasta saving 2 cups of pasta water.
• Add cooked pasta to marinara sauce and toss together to coat all the pasta. Add extra pasta water if needed to thin the pasta dish.

• Pasta primavera with winter vegetables is ready!

• Serve pasta with garnish of Parmesan cheese.