thursday night tradition

Pasta Primavera care package for neighbor.

​For the longest time, my husband and I have pasta on Thursday nights. This may be a carryover from when he was growing up. His father liked to have spaghetti on Thursdays. This past Thursday was no different, however, my daughter requested pasta with vegetables. I had the perfect recipe in my Delicious Orchards recipe file, one that had to be over 25 years old, spaghetti primavera.
 
The veggies for this sauce include zucchini and broccoli. For the sauce you need 3 cups of canned plum tomatoes, garlic, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, butter, pine nuts and fresh basil. Trying to use what was available in my pantry, we used one box of spaghetti and one rigatoni. I substituted whole ricotta cheese for the cream.  You can also omit the pine nuts. 

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The zucchini is cut into varying shapes and the broccoli into small florets and blanched. While the pasta water is heating, you start the tomato sauce with olive oil, fresh garlic and tomatoes. After the vegetables are blanched, they’re added to the sauce. At this point, I would add the butter and cream. Before pouring the vegetable sauce over the pasta, add the Parmesan cheese off the heat.
 
I haven’t made this dish in a very long time and it still remains a favorite. It’s a lovely change from pasta and meatballs. The ricotta didn’t weigh down the taste of the sauce and made a wonderful pink sauce. Had I had some fresh basil, I would have added this to the sauce, but there was some in the canned tomatoes.
 
Everyone enjoyed a bowl, or two, including my granddaughter. You should have some sauce leftover for a second meal. I hope you give it a try.
 
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