Pasta Primavera - Creamy Blue Cheese with Spring Veggies and Mushrooms

Pasta Primavera is a dish that originated in America during the 1970s. It is made with pasta and vegetables, topped with a cream sauce. Typically, it is prepared using a Parmesan cheese sauce. When I first started cooking in my early twenties, I made my own version of Pasta Primavera using Gorgonzola cheese, which turned out to be delicious. We have an excellent Blue Cheese from Wisconsin in our onsite farm store, which is quite similar to Gorgonzola. Robert and I are huge fans of Blue Cheese, so I decided to use it instead of Gorgonzola in my Primavera recipe. The outcome was incredible, and I plan to make this dish again soon.

• 8 oz Small-sized pasta, we used farfalle (bow-tie)
• 1/2 - 1 Cup reserved pasta water
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 4 oz Cremini mushroom sliced
• 4 Baby patty pans - or 1 small zucchini squash, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 6 Sweet colored mini peppers or 2 full-size bells
• 1 Jalapeno sliced (optional)
• 3 Garlic cloves - finely chopped
• 1 Cup freshly herbs chopped - we used basil and parsley
• 1 Chili pepper flake - (optional and to your liking)
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 6 oz Blue cheese crumble
• Splash of heavy cream, half and half, or milk of your choice
• Salt and pepper to taste (take into consideration the blue cheese is naturally salty)

Preparation - 10 minutes Cook Time - 20 minutes Serving - 4-6

Sautéing the Veggies & Cooking the Pasta

1. Cook the pasta in salted water according to the package directions. We recommend cooking it aldente, with a slight bite. After cooking, drain the pasta and set it aside.
2. Next, heat up 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the mushrooms and squash to the skillet and sprinkle them with salt to help sweat out the moisture and enhance their texture and flavor. Sauté for about 3-5 minutes on medium heat.
3. Add sweet and chili peppers to the skillet and cook for an additional 2 minutes to remove their rawness.
4. Then, add chopped garlic, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Sauté for about 1 minute before adding the chopped herbs and stirring everything together. Taste the mixture and adjust the seasoning. Transfer all of the cooked veggies into a large bowl.

Making the Blue Cheese Cream Sauce

1. To make the blue cheese cream sauce, start by heating up 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water and a splash of cream in the skillet you used to cook the veggies.
2. Add the blue cheese to the pan and stir it until it melts completely. Mix in the sautéed veggies and pasta. If the sauce needs thinning out to coat everything together, add some pasta water and stir again.
3. Taste and adjust the seasoning and serve immediately. Enjoy your delicious pasta dish.