Sautéed vegetables are tossed with whole wheat pasta, olive oil, garlic and creamy Stonyfield yogurt. The ultimate family friendly weeknight dinner recipe.
Whether it's for a special occasion like Mother's Day or, frankly, any night of the week, I am a huge fan of empowering kids to get in the kitchen to help with meal time.
Kids love to help and do things on their own so what better way to encourage that independence than by getting them in the kitchen to help cook? I always joke, their future wives will thank me one day!
This light and fresh pasta primavera recipe is the ultimate kid-friendly dinner recipe packed with nutritious veggies and protein-packed whole wheat pasta.
Instead of adding cream or butter, I like to stir in Stonyfield whole milk plain yogurt. Not only does it add more protein, calcium and other nutrients to the dish, but creates a rich and creamy sauce that lightly coats each bite of pasta.
Get the kids involved! My six year old loved shredding the Parmesan cheese, pouring in the peas and stirring in the creamy yogurt. Even better? Have them decide which veggies to add to the dish! The more you get them involved, the more likely they will eat the healthy meal.
Your fork is waiting.
Pasta Primavera With Sautéed Vegetables
Ingredients
- 8 ounces whole wheat pasta (any cut)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (divided)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced )
- 1 bell pepper (any color) (seeded and diced )
- 1 medium zucchini (thinly sliced )
- 2 cups asparagus (cut in 1-inch pieces)
- ¼ cup parmsan cheese (grated)
- 1 cup green peas (fresh or frozen)
- 1 cup Stonyfield whole milk plain yogurt
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- ¼ cup basil (shredded)
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions reserving 1 cup of the starchy cooking liquid.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat a deep skillet over medium-high heat and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.
- Add the garlic, diced bell pepper, zucchini and asparagus to the pan, plus salt and pepper, as sauté until tender, about 5-6 minutes.
- Stir the cooked pasta into the pot of veggies along with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, parmesan cheese and peas. If the mixture is too dry, add in a bit of the reserved starchy cooking liquid, 1/4 cup at a time.
- Remove from heat then stir in the yogurt. Add salt and pepper to taste then garnish with fresh basil before serving
Love the idea of using yogurt in the dish. Trying that trick soon...and this recipe.
Let me know how it turns out!!
Love how refreshing this pasta dish is and how cute your son is, too!
Aww thank you so much!!
I love sautéed veggies, so this would be a huge hit here!
Love the simplicity of this dish!! Pass me a bowl, please?
I love the idea of the creamy sauce with the fresh asparagus and the peas. Such a wonderful spring dish idea!
Such a quick and easy dinner! Just what I need on a busy weeknight!
This look perfect for Spring potlucks! Love those veggies!
Sounds amazing!!!