Healthy Pasta Primavera

Hello!  It's a chilly morning here in Pennsylvania, but I'm plugging through the week because I see summer break on the horizon.  Friday is my last day of school until August and I couldn't be happier.  

The other day I promised a recipe, so here is one that I cooked up the other night for my family.  I was hungry for a pasta/veggie dish and decided to make a healthy version of pasta primavera.  And for some protein, my husband grilled a few pieces of marinated chicken and filet mignon.

What makes this dish healthy?  To start, I used nonfat, plain Greek yogurt rather than heavy cream.  Plus the plethora of vegetables is always an essential part of a healthy meal.

Healthy Pasta Primavera      

Ingredients

1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

¼ cup low-sodium vegetable stock/broth

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 pound whole wheat pasta

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

½ bunch asparagus, chopped

½ medium red onion, chopped

½ large pepper (any color), chopped

2 teaspoons lemon-herb blend seasoning

1 clove garlic, minced

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated, plus more for garnish

salt to taste

Instructions

In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, stock, lemon juice and cornstarch; set aside.

Notice ...my glass of wine was peeking in the picture above....

In a large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta for 8 to 10 minutes, or until tender. Drain, but reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.

Chop up all of the vegetables into bite-sized pieces.  

In a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the chopped vegetables; cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes until veggies are crisp tender.  Add the garlic after about 6-7 minutes of cooking. 

Remove the frying pan from the heat. Stir in the pasta, yogurt mixture, herb blend, Parmesan cheese, and salt if desired; toss to mix well.  Add a few ladles of pasta water if needed.    

The final dish...

I highly recommend using a little bit of the reserved pasta water before serving to create more of a creamy consistency within the dish.

I have to say...my family didn't even notice that I switched out the cream with the yogurt.  This recipe received raving reviews and they were already asking for it again.  

Have a great Tuesday!

Tracy