Pasta Primavera

Cook the noodles. Bring a pot of water to boil. Then add 1 tablespoon of salt. Pour in the pasta and cook until al dente.

Drain the pasta. There is no need to rinse the pasta.

Add 2 tablespoons of butter to a baking pan.

Then dump the cooked pasta into the pan. Mix to coat the pasta with the butter to prevent them from sticking to one another. Set aside.

Make the alfredo sauce. On medium heat, melt the butter then toss in the garlic. Cook the garlic until fragrant.

Reduce the heat to LOW then add the flour to the pan . Whisk until the two ingredients are combined. They should start to form lumps

Gradually pour in the half & half and whisk continuously. Add just a little bit of milk at first about 1/2 a cup. Continuously whisk until there are no more lumps and the flour mixture is smooth.

Add in the grated parmesan cheese and stir.

Add in 1 teaspoon of garlic salt.

Add in 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper and stir.

Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce has thickened. Stirring occasionally.

The whole process of making the alfredo sauce should take about 10 minutes. Then set the sauce aside.

Saute the veggies. Heat up a cast iron skillet on MEDIUM HIGH heat. Once the pan is hot, add in the olive oil and wait 15 seconds for the oil to warm up. Then add in the mushrooms, garlic and onions. Give it a quick stir . If the bottom of the pan is dry, you can add another 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan.

Then leave the mushrooms, garlic and onions alone in the pan until it has browned on one side. When the bottom of the veggies are slightly browned, give them a toss.

Then add in the cherry tomatoes. Toss and cook until slightly soft. Season with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper.

Turn off the heat and add in the spinach. Toss until the spinach is slightly wilted.

Then transfer to a baking tray to cool.

Time to put it all together ! Warm up the alfredo sauce in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute . Pour the alfredo sauce over the pasta and use a large spoon to mix. You may not need to use all of the alfredo sauce. It will depend on how saucy you like your pasta to be. In the video I had about 1 cup of alfredo sauce remaining.

Add 1 cup of the shredded mozarella cheese and mix.

Add the cooked vegetables. Scoop out the vegetables only and be sure to leave any liquid on the bottom of the pan behind. Discard the liquid. Gently mix the pasta and vegetables with your hands.

Season with ¼ of teaspoon of salt and ⅛ teaspoon of black pepper. Mix for the last time.

Completely cover the pasta with the remaining MOZARELLA cheese.

Roast in the oven at 450 degrees until the cheese is browned.

Serve immediately.