Savory Saturday: Summer Pasta...

This pasta is my new obsession, and I seriously cook it about once a week.  It was inspired by an insanely delicious meal I had at The Cheesecake Factory in Vegas, and I've tried my hardest to replicate it in my own kitchen but in a (slightly) healthier way.  Quick, easy, and includes everything left in your veggie crisper... Enjoy!

Summer Pasta

1 box Angel Hair pasta (we use 1/2 a box for just us two and Swee'Pea)

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper (for spicier taste) or 1 yellow bell pepper (for sweeter taste)

1 container of Shitake mushrooms (they are like $3.99 at most grocery stores)

10 or so asparagus stalks

Sun ripened tomatoes (I get the jar of julienned tomatoes... it made this recipe four times)

4-5 cloves of fresh garlic (I heart garlic)

Butter

Salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste

FRESHLY grated Parmesan cheese

1. Chop up all your veggies into about 1-inch pieces and set aside.  I like to chop up the tomatoes too... I don't like to bite into a big chunk of them, and they are more there for the flavor than the actual texture.  I put all my veggies in a bowl and set aside (I like to drizzle some of the oil from the SRT on the veggies too... mmmm).

2. Chop your garlic and saute it lightly in a pan with some extra virgin olive oil (I just spread the oil around 2-3 times in the pan... that is probably around 3 tablespoons).  

3. Add your veggies before the garlic gets too brown, and add a few tablespoons of butter.  Sprinkle with kosher salt, freshly grated pepper, and some red pepper flakes if you'd like (a little goes a long way!)  Saute them until soft (about 10 minutes).

4. During this time, you need to have set a big pot of water on the stove to boil.  Angel hair pasta cooks VERY QUICKLY, so I don't even add it to the boiling water until my veggies are done.  Seriously, 1/2 a box cooks in maybe 3 minutes, so watch carefully!

5.  Cook your pasta, strain it, and put it in a big bowl.  Put 3-4 tablespoons of butter in it to melt and prevent pasta from sticking (I kid you not, in the TCF dish, there was about 28 sticks of butter in it... on my plate alone. Yikes!).  Add your veggies and toss, toss, toss!

6. Freshly grate some Parmesan cheese over the whole mixture (if you don't have a special cheese grater for this, just got a little tub of the freshly grated cheese at any grocery store.  I HATED parm cheese growing up... that was until I found out it existed in another form than those scary green cans.  Now I LOVE LOVE LOVE it and have my own little grater like at Italian restaurants and everything.  It is so delish!!!).

7.  Serve into bowls and enjoy!  (We usually top our own servings with additional cheese and freshly grated pepper.  Mmmm.  Cheese).  Great paired with some Rosemary Herb Bread and a glass of white wine or something else light and summery!  

Helpful Hints:

*I have never cooked this the same way twice.  I always have a different assortment of veggies in my fridge.  Sometimes I use mushrooms, sometimes not.  I always have the sun ripened tomatoes and asparagus though, and some type of bell pepper.

*I often add some bits of roasted chicken if I have some leftover from a previous meal.  Just toss it in just as the end of the saute-ing process so it warms up.

*A bit of butter and Parmesan cheese (fresh!!!) make or break this recipe.  I forgot the cheese once and I was really disappointed.  A few minutes later I remembered, added it, and seriously.  I died and went to heaven.  :)