Pasta is one of the most versatile foods in the kitchen. Whether you make it at home or buy fresh or dried pasta, you'll agree that simply sautéed with a little oil and sliced garlic, it makes for a wonderful meal. But if you want overwhelming success, with this recipe for noodles with vegetables in a creamy sauce they'll wow you.
Today's one is a different dish full of nuances, both in flavor, aromas and textures. Each vegetable in the recipe contributes its own point, from the crunchiest broccoli to the softest zucchini. The combination of butter with cooking cream and cheese gives smoothness and creaminess to a sauce that turns out spectacular.
All the ingredients, in perfect conjunction, will make these noodles with vegetables in creamy sauce one of your go-to pasta dishes. Here is the recipe.
Ingredients (for 4 servings)
- 350 gr of noodles or spaghetti (about 80-100 g per person)
- 1 medium red bell pepper
- 1 medium zucchini
- 1 red onion
- 1 red tomato (2 if they are small)
- 1 small broccoli
- 60 g butter cut into cubes
- 200 ml cooking cream
- Olive oil
- White wine or apple cider vinegar or wine vinegar
- Salt
- Pepper
- Parmesan or peccorino
- Oregano or thyme
Preparation
- Prepare the vegetables. Wash the red bell pepper and the zucchini and cut them into julienne, into strips about 4-5 cm long, as seen in the video. Cut the onion in half and also slice it into julienne. Set them aside.
- Separate the broccoli florets and set aside. If they are very large, cut them in half or into 4 pieces lengthwise.
- Heat a splash of olive oil (about 3 or 4 tablespoons) in a stainless steel frying pan and when it's very hot, add the vegetables and sauté them to brown.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta and, when done, set it aside. Reserve some of the cooking water.
- When they're ready, pour a splash of white wine (you can also use wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar) and move the pan in circles, gently, so the juices mix.
- Add most of the butter cut into cubes (reserve a small amount) and continue stirring in the same way until it has melted.
- At that moment, add the cooking cream and gently move the pan so the juices mix with the cream. Season with freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste, and with a little oregano or thyme and let reduce slightly to concentrate the flavors.
- Add the reserved butter and a splash of wine and bind the sauce by moving the pan with a little vigor.
- Place the noodles (cooked al dente) in the pan and toss with fine tongs or chopsticks so they mix with the vegetables and the sauce.
- Add a bit of the noodle cooking water and stir well so it mixes with the sauce.
- Before turning off the heat, grate Parmesan or peccorino over the pasta or sprinkle a good handful of grated cheese
- Divide the pasta with vegetables among the plates, grate a little more cheese and serve hot. Enjoy your meal!
Prim Appety stainless steel frying pan by De Buyer
Notes
- When the oil is hot, you can add a couple of sliced or chopped garlic cloves before adding the vegetables; garlic flavor suits the pasta very well.
- You can use whichever vegetables you want (mushrooms are great, or green beans), whichever you like best, or use seasonal ones. The only thing to keep in mind is to cut them as uniformly as possible. That way they will cook evenly.
- The amount of butter is indicative and totally adjustable to your taste. But its use is interesting to achieve the creamy point of the sauce.
- The recipe is with noodles, but, as with the vegetables, you can use the long pasta you like most. You can also make it with macaroni or fusilli, for example.
- You can use dried or fresh pasta, homemade or store-bought. Obviously, with homemade fresh pasta, the recipe will be excellent! Here you can see how to make fresh pasta at home.
Acknowledgments: Thanks to Cottonbro Studios for these wonderful videos!
