Mix of garden cherry tomatoes, summer zucchini, and mushrooms,  roasted and tossed with pasta.

Summer Pasta Primavera

By Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime

Welcome back to Farmer’s Market Week where I am sharing recipes all week long to use the best of the summer farm markets.

Today I am sharing one I shared many years ago on Food.com (where it didn’t get a lot of interest at the time). But in recent years there has indeed been more of a trend to roast vegetables and put together sheet pan dinners (which this is except for cooking the pasta).

It is one of my favorite types of pasta to have in the summer- to use the bounty of fresh produce, which can be varied according to taste, and like the other types of summer noodles I am fond of during the summer months, such as pad Thai or Singapore noodles,  it is not burdened by a heavy marinara or cream sauce, but is finished with a light broth.

This year as part of my gardening I am growing a few cherry tomato plants, and as expected, during July and August I gather an enormous amount of cherry tomatoes, except what the mockingbirds have been stealing, or more aptly, taking one bird-beak bite out of before going to the next one. It reminds me of kids taking a nibble of a chocolate from  a huge box, finding they got the filling they hating, but putting it back. But we can’t expect backyard birds to adult very well, can we? Yet I have found that if I get out there early morning near sunrise, I can beat them to the ripened ones of the day, so no worries.

Join me tomorrow as I continue with Farmer’s Market week when I share my recipe for Fresh Applesauce. I love using the early season apples for that (the ones that start coming in July) for their nice tart flavor and easy cooking profile. I hope to see you then!

~Sue

Summer Pasta Primavera

• Servings: 2-3
• Time: 45mins
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Ingredients:

• 1 pound cherry tomatoes
• 8 cloves garlic, quartered
• 8 ounces zucchini, chopped
• 8 ounces mushrooms, quartered
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and black pepper
• 8 ounces spaghettini, or thin spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
• 1 cup pasta cooking water, reserved
• 1 teaspoon vegetable base or bouillon
• 1/4 cup sliced black  olives
• grated Parmesan cheese as needed (optional, omit for vegan)
• 2 tablespoons shredded fresh basil

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Line baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil.
3. Place whole tomatoes, garlic, zucchini, and mushrooms in a single layer on the baking sheet.
4. Sprinkle vegetables with  oregano,  pepper flakes,  salt and black pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
5. Bake for 25 minutes,  stir, then bake ten minutes more.
6. While vegetables are baking, cook pasta, then drain and keep warm, saving one cup of the cooking water.
7. Mix cooking water with vegetable base.
8. Toss vegetables and pasta water/broth with the cooked pasta, taking care to grab  all the pan juices for the pasta.
9. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired and garnish with shredded fresh basil.

From the kitchen of palatablepastime.com

#FarmersMarket

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