Bright And Fresh Pasta Primavera

5 from 16 votes

Bright And Fresh Pasta Primavera

A spring dish that is loaded with delicious greens. The asparagus is roasted for optimum flavor and the leeks and spinach is quickly sautéd. A little cheese for some additional flavor makes this pasta dish a fantastic welcome to spring.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: vegetable side

Cuisine: American-Italian

Servings: people

Calories: 770kcal

Author: Marisa Franca @ All Our Way

Ingredients

16 oz. dry penne pasta
16 oz. asparagus washed and trimmed
4 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil divided
1 tsp. kosher salt
Black pepper
2 cups sliced leeks
2 Tbsp. minced fresh garlic
10 oz. fresh baby spinach
6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
6 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
½ cup packed fresh mint leaves chopped
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 oz. crumbled ricotta Salata ** about ½ cup

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 F.
For the pasta cook penne in boiling water per package direction; drain.
Toss asparagus with 2 tsp. oil and 1 tsp. salt, then season with pepper and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil sprayed with vegetable spray. Roast asparagus until fork-tender, about 10 minutes.
Sweat leeks and garlic in 2 tsp. oil in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat until leeks begin to soften. Stir in spinach and cook to slightly wilt. Stir in penne. Set aside.
For the vinaigrette, whisk together 6 Tbsp. oil, lemon juice, mint, and 1 tsp. salt. Add ricotta Salata and stir just to combine, then season with pepper. Toss Vinaigrette with pasta mixture to coat. The vinaigrette can be prepared ahead of time so that you can immediately add it to the pasta mixture.

Notes

Sand and dirt often settle in the layers of leeks. The best way I've found to clean them is to half the leeks lengthwise and rinse the leeks under cold running water until they are clean, then I slice them.

** We used Ricotta Salata because it has a strong flavor and a bit more salt. Ricotta Salata is also in our Rotini With Fresh Lemon And Grape Tomatoes. This cheese seems to bring out the taste of the vegetables and the mint. You don't need much cheese, which saves on calories, just enough for the flavor.

Nutrition