Weeknight Pasta Primavera

This past Tuesday night, one of my best friends, and creator of Buen Provecho Amigos, Norida needed to come stay with me for an early morning meeting nearby. I knew she would be tired and hungry by the time she got here, so I wanted to prepare something healthy, delicious and something that would keep for a bit as she was coming later than dinner. I had a whole bunch of fresh vegetables in need of being used, so Pasta Primavera seemed like the best option. I didn’t get home until it was a little late, so I did have to use good quality dry pasta for this dish, instead of home-made pasta. I have a few favorite brands I use when I don’t have time for homemade, Liguori or Delverde. Dinner was a hit and it was nice to get some extra time with Norida and her daughter, the Cupcake.

Here is my version of this recipe that feeds 3-4 people:

Pasta Primavera

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 medium onion

3-4 medium zucchini and/or yellow squash, sliced and quartered

1 large eggplant , skin on, cut into 1 inch cubes

4-5 Roma plum tomatoes, or small vine tomatoes, large diced

1/2 cup of white wine

Salt and Pepper, to taste

1 pound spaghetti, fresh or dry

1/2 cup reserved pasta water

Bring 3-4 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add a generous pinch of salt and cook the spaghetti until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water and drain pasta, do not rinse.  Heat olive oil in skillet, saute garlic until just fragrant, add onion and saute 3-5 minutes until soft. Add the zucchini, squash, and eggplant and saute vegetables. When vegetables are soft, add the tomatoes and continue to cook until mixture is almost dry. Create some space in the center of the pan and add in the wine and stir into the mixture. After wine is absorbed, add the pasta to the pan and pour the reserved pasta water over the pasta. Toss the pasta into the vegetable sauce until well coated, and sauce is incorporated. Serve in pasta bowls, with grated Parmesan to taste.