Loaded Vegetable Pasta Primavera

Pasta primavera at its most generous: six vegetables, garlicky olive oil, fresh herbs, and a shower of parmesan over fettuccine. No cream sauce here, which is how the dish was originally conceived at Le Cirque in 1970s New York before American kitchens muddied it up with Alfredo.

The high-heat sauté keeps the vegetables crisp-tender, not soft. That textural contrast against the silky fettuccine is the whole point. Cook them past that crisp-tender mark and you end up with sad, washed-out vegetable mush.

Add the vegetables in order of cook time. Broccoli, cauliflower, and asparagus stems first, then peppers and artichoke hearts, with cherry tomatoes going in for only the last minute so they warm without bursting. Dumping them all in at once leaves you with raw broccoli and exploded tomatoes.

The dried oregano and basil are old-school. Use fresh basil instead, torn off the stem at the end, for a brighter finish.

Pro Tips

• Salt the pasta water aggressively. With no sauce to season the noodles, that’s the only seasoning they get.
• Reserve a half cup of pasta water before draining and toss it with the vegetables and noodles. The starch helps everything cling together.
• Use freshly grated parmesan, not the pre-shredded stuff. It melts in instead of clumping.
• A squeeze of lemon over the finished bowl makes the vegetables snap to attention.

Variations

• Add a pound of shrimp sautéed with the garlic for a heartier main course.
• Swap fettuccine for orzo for a warm pasta-salad treatment.
• Stir in a half cup of pesto at the end for an herbier, richer version.