Receta pasta and vegetables with warm lemon vinaigrette
i think by now many of you know of my obsession with ina garten. she can do no wrong in my eyes. although there is one "beef" i have with her. she rarely makes a vegetarian main course. there are exceptions - but the girl loves meat. so i have taken ideas from her shows and tried to apply them to vegetarian dishes.
the long island food episode, she made montauk seafood salad with a warm vinaigrette. now, you will never catch me eating seafood, but the vinaigrette is an excellent idea.
i had just made vegetable dip the previous night and had a bunch of vegetables cut up sitting in the fridge. i figured i could quickly cook some pasta - chop up the vegetables and top it all with the warm vinaigrette.
oh my - talk about an improvement to pasta salad. the warm vinaigrette with the garlic, mustard and lemon juice - this is an instant hit in our house. i thought of calling it "clean out the produce drawer pasta" because you could really use any vegetables that you like raw. the best part about it - besides the taste - is it is so quick to make.
the only thing i would do different next time is add some chopped green olives and little balls of fresh mozarella. that would make it perfection.
pickycook secret - i use garlic all the time - and i am not sure if there is anything i hate more than peeling garlic. i cheat - i buy organic peeled garlic cloves in a bag so garlic is ready for me whenever i use it.
pasta and vegetables with warm lemon vinaigrette
adapted from ina garten (the great one) from Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook
- 1 lb of your favorite pasta (i used fusilli)
- 2-3 cups of chopped assorted cold veggies (i used bell peppers, cucumber, carrots and tomatoes)
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon whole fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
- 2 lemons, zested
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons Champagne or white wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- grated parmesan for the top
- slices of lemon to toss with pasta and vegetables
- cook the pasta per directions on box
- toss pasta, lemon slices and vegetables in large bowl
heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan and add the thyme, garlic, and lemon zest. cook over low heat for 1 minute. Off the heat, add the lemon juice, mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper. pour the hot vinaigrette over the pasta and vegetables.
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