Penne with Mushrooms, Zucchini and Asparagus

Prep Details

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 pound sliced mushrooms (cremini or shiitake are great options for this)

• Extra virgin olive oil

• ½ red onion, diced

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 small zucchini, diced

• ½ pound asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces

• Kosher salt & pepper

• 1 pound penne

• 1 cup creme fraiche

• 1 lemon, zested and juiced

• 1 cup grated parmesan or pecorino

• Basil, to garnish

Directions

1. Fill a large pot with water and season it heavily with kosher salt (make it taste like the ocean!). Bring to a boil.

2. While the water is coming up to a boil, heat ¼ cup of olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Once the oil is hot, add the mushrooms, red onion and garlic. Season with salt & pepper and cook until the mushrooms are browned and the onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Next, add the zucchini and asparagus and cook for about 5 minutes - or until the asparagus and zucchini are just tender, but still vibrant and green. Season to taste and remove from heat.

3. Cook the penne in the boiling salted water until they’re just about “al dente”, about 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta water for the sauce.

4. Over low heat, melt the creme fraiche into the vegetable mixture. Once melted, add in the drained pasta and the reserved pasta water. Cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and neatly coats the pasta. Remove from the heat and stir in lemon juice, lemon zest, grated cheese and additional salt & pepper as needed.

5. Garnish with basil and serve immediately.