Pasta Primavera

Pasta Primavera (My own take on a classic)
Pasta Primavera is one of those classic pasta dishes from the 80’s or if you’ve been to many a hotel hosted conference like I have. It is full of veggitables and has a light sauce, sometimes creamy sometimes not. I poked around the recipe world and read so many different takes on it I ended up shaking my head and pushed away my laptop and decided on how I wanted it to taste.

1# spaghetti noodles
2 cups cubed ham (you can use chicken or shrimp if you want meat or leave it out to keep it meat free)
1 diced red bell pepper
1 diced green bell pepper
1 cup diced mushrooms
2 T garlic (can use less if desired)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 parmesan cheese (or a romano parmesan blend)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
pinch of nutmeg

Bring a pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta per directions on the packet. Reserve a cup of the cooking liquid.

While pasta is going, brown the ham to a large skillet until lightly seared. In same pan, add the butter, bell peppers, garlic and mushrooms. Sautee the ham and veggies until the veggies are slightly al dente. Add heavy cream and seasonings and cook over medium heat until sauce is bubbly. Add Parmasen cheese and stir. Taste sauce to make sure the seasonings are to your liking. Pour over drained spaghetti and toss gently. If the sauce is too thick for your taste, you can add some of the reserved cooking liquid to thin it out.

Makes 5 6 ounce servings. Add a little bit more cheese to each serving.