Summer Pasta

In Italy, this might be called "Pasta Primavera". In Ontario, though, it's hard to work up a good selection of vegetables before early summer at best. I've been making a number of variations on this theme lately. Some vegetables go into the pot with the pasta towards the end of the cooking time to cook along with it; others get sautéed with some oil and garlic or chopped green onions. You can use whatever vegetables seem good to you, just decide if they are "boilers" or "sautéers". If I'm adding meat, some sausage or chopped bacon gets cooked in the pan as well. Otherwise, when the pasta is drained and tossed with the contents of the pan, some cheese gets thrown in too. Quick, painless, tasty and not too much time spent hanging over a hot stove. You can spend that time hanging over all the great pasta at Presto Pasta Nights instead.

2 servings
20 minutes - 10 minutes prep time



225 grams (1/2 pound) stubby pasta

2 cups peas
4 cups spinach
1 or 2 green onions
OR 1 or 2 cloves of garlic (or both if you like)
1 medium zucchini
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried basil (or a tablespoon or 2 fresh minced)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
100 grams feta cheese, cut in dice

Cook the pasta in plenty of salted, boiling water. In the meantime, shell the peas. Add them to the pasta 3 or 4 minutes before it is done. Wash the spinach, and chop it coarsely. Let it drain in the pasta drainer.

Chop the green onion or mince the garlic. Wash and slice the zucchini. When the pasta is about half done, heat the oil in a large skillet and sauté the zucchini until it begins to brown, stirring regularly. Add the green onion or garlic, and sauté for a few minutes more. Season with the basil, oregano, salt and pepper.

When the pasta and peas are done, drain them through the spinach. Toss the pasta, peas and spinach with the contents of the skillet, and the feta cheese.