Being Savvy:In the kitchen with Mom and Dad: Whole Grain Pasta with Asparagus and Snap Peas.

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In the kitchen with Mom and Dad: Whole Grain Pasta with Asparagus and Snap Peas.

by Bethany Dunn

Thu
24
2008

With the weather cooling down in Seattle (at least for a few days), it feels like the right time to get back into the kitchen, turn on the stove and cook up a family dinner together.

This is a recipe I pulled from the August edition of Good Housekeeping magazine. I'm always looking for recipes that are both easy to put together with my preschooler AND something they will actually eat. What caught my eye about this particular recipe was that it includes two ingredients that are plentiful in local farmers markets this time of year: asparagus and snap peas. You should be able to pull this together - with the help of your preschooler - in about 25 minutes.

1 package (13.25 oz) whole grain pasta (I like rotini)
8 oz (or more) of asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
8 oz snap peas (1 package stringless)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 lemon
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 cup basil leaves, thinly chopped
1/2 teaspoon (plus more for pasta water) salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Heat large covered saucepot of salted water on high to boiling. Add pasta and cook as label directs, adding asparagus and snap peas when 3 minutes of cooking time remain. At the same time in a 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil on medium until hot. Add onion and cook 10 to 12 minutes or until tender and browned. From lemon, grate 1 teaspoon peel and squeeze 2 tablespoons juice. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water; drain pasta and vegetables. In large serving bowl, toss pasta and vegetables with cooking water, onion, lemon peel and juice, Romano, basil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper.
 
What your preschooler can help you with: gathering up food items from the refrigerator, measuring the previously grated cheese, adding the pasta to the water (with help from an adult) snapping the asparagus before having an adult cut into 1 inch pieces, adding the salt and pepper, eating the yummy dinner.

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