Ellie Krieger’s Pasta Primavera

So, this is pasta primavera, round 2 (Click here to see round 1). Ellie Krieger vs. Giada de Laurentiis, who wins? Ellie’s recipe contains more ingredients, sauteing of the veggies, and a sauce. Giada’s recipe contains roasting the veggies and no sauce. I found that Giada’s recipe was slightly easier since roasting takes virtually no effort and there was no sauce to worry about thickening. On the other hand, Ellie’s recipe is healthier because of the whole wheat pasta. But I do have to consider the fact that I used sweet Italian sausage when I made Giada’s pasta primavera, which might very well be an unfair advantage.

And the winner is…..

Giada! Giada’s primavera recipe tasted delicious the next day for lunch. Ellie’s recipe, not so much. For someone like me, who doesn’t have a family to feed and likes to utilize leftovers for lunch, that’s a big advantage. Either way, both recipes were great. I did have some problems with the sauce thickening in Ellie’s recipe which wasn’t surprising since some Food Network reviewers had the same problem. It still came out fresh and suprisingly fulfilling for not having any meat.

How to make

Ellie Krieger’s Pasta Primavera

Yield: 4 servings

Ellie’s recipe contains more ingredients, sauteing of the veggies, and a sauce. Giada’s recipe contains roasting the veggies and no sauce. 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 red bell pepper, cleaned, seeded and cut into strips (6 ounces)
• 1/2 pound thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 cup sliced button mushrooms (4 ounces)
• 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in 1/2 (6 ounces)
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 1/2 cup 1 percent milk
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, dissolved in 3 tablespoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 large carrot (6 ounces) peeled and sliced into strips with a peeler (about 2 cups carrot ribbons)
• 3/4 pound whole-wheat linguine
• 1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup shredded basil leaves

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Cook garlic until soft, about 1 minute. Add peppers and cook until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, asparagus and tomatoes and cook until softened, an additional 5 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute more. Add chicken stock, milk, salt and pepper and bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook until liquid has thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in carrot strips.
2. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water. Toss pasta with vegetables and sauce. Add pasta water, if necessary, to loosen mixture. Serve garnished with Parmesan, parsley and basil.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

If you make this recipe, be sure to snap a picture and share it on Instagram with #handletheheat so we can all see!

Recipe by Tessa Arias