I’ve been trying to slow down my life a little bit lately. At least for a couple of days so I can come up for air. No matter how hard I try, things just keep rolling in and piling up. I’m not complaining. I’m happy to be busy, but sometimes I need to get creative with my time in order to fit it all in.
May I present a super fast and easy meal that doubles as lunch (if there’s any leftover)! The great part about this time of year, is that there are fresh vegetables available everywhere. If you pick up something freshly grown, you almost can’t go wrong when making dinner. If you’re really short on time you could just boil, grill or steam fresh veggies, and eat them as is! They’d still be delicious.
Now, I’ll admit I did use frozen peas in this one, but the asparagus was fresh, and the mint was straight off my plant in the backyard! Boil everything together with pasta, add cheese, and you’re done! It was great hot and cold. Thank you universe for cooperating on this one, and helping a sister out.
Fresh Tortellini with Asparagus, Peas and Mint recipe from Fine Cooking
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oilÂ
2 medium cloves garlic, pressed or mincedÂ
1/8 tsp. cayenneÂ
1 lb. fresh cheese tortelliniÂ
1 lb. asparagus, trimmed of tough, woody stems, and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces (leave the tips whole)Â
1 cup shelled fresh peas (or thawed frozen peas)Â
1/3 cup pine nuts, toastedÂ
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh mintÂ
2 oz. fresh goat cheese, softened **I used feta I had on hand
Freshly ground black pepperÂ
In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, cayenne, and 1/2 tsp. salt.
Cook the tortellini, asparagus, and peas in the boiling water until the tortellini is al dente, 2 to 3 minutes.
Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta and vegetables and toss with the garlic-oil mixture. Add the pine nuts, mint, and goat cheese and stir until the cheese melts into a sauce, adding cooking water as needed to moisten the pasta. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve.
Kellie says
This looks super easy and super yummy!! Great combo if you ask me. 🙂 thanks!!
couplesshowerinvitations.info says
Keep your face to the sun and you will never see the shadows.
Trish says
This is excellent! I used 4 oz of fresh mozzarella in place of goat cheese, and next time add more mint.
betsy says
I feel like the mint really makes it. Thanks for sharing! I’m so glad you enjoyed it