One dish I see on EVERY menu in Italian restaurants is Pasta Primavera. If it is such a common dish, why is it that no restaurants seem to make it the same? Some have tomato based sauce, some a white-wine and butter sauce, some Alfredo sauce...so my mission was to answer one simple question; what is the authentic way to make it?

Well after harassing an Italian speaking friend and making good use of Google's translating features, I have found that the majority of true Italian recipes for this Spring Pasta use an olive oil based dressing. So I began experimenting. My taste buds concluded that this was the best combination of spring veggies, garlic, Parmesan & Romano cheeses, and olive oil.

This recipe is designed to serve 2-3 people.

Prep time: 15 minutes.

Cooking time: 20 minutes.

4-5 oz spaghetti or linguine noodles (reserve 1/4 C of water from cooking)

3 Tbs olive oil

2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

1 medium sized zucchini, halved length wise and cut into 3/4 inch thick slices

6-8 asparagus stalks, cut into 2 inch long pieces

1 pepper seeded and cut into strips (I used red, but yellow or orange would work nicely too)

1/2 C broccoli florets

2 Tbs Parmesan cheese, grated

2 Tbs Romano cheese, grated

8-10 cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half

1/4 C olive oil

1/8 tsp ground thyme leaves

1 Tbs fresh rosemary

1 Tbs fresh basil

1 Tbs fresh oregano

1/2 Tbs lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil (for easy clean up).

Begin cooking the pasta, making sure to lightly salt the water.

In a large bowl combine garlic, zucchini, asparagus, pepper, and broccoli. Add 3 Tbs olive oil and toss until evenly coated. Add the Parmesan and Romano cheese and toss. Pour out onto baking sheet making sure the vegetables are in a single layer. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are soft but not mushy, turning once.

In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 C olive oil, thyme, rosemary, basil, oregano, and lemon juice. Set aside.

Have a serving bowl big enough to hold the pasta on stand by. As soon as the pasta is cooked, drain it-remembering to reserve 1/4 C of the water. Put the pasta into the serving bowl and add the roasted vegetables and the tomatoes.

Immediately toss the pasta and vegetables with olive oil and spice mixture. Add some of the reserved pasta water and toss until evenly coated. (I only used a small portion of the 1/4 C that I reserved). Salt and pepper to taste.

**The second time I made this, I lightly broiled my vegetables for a roasted flavor. **