Categories: Drafts

Rosé Pasta Primavera

Take your love for rosé to a new level. Cook with it.

In particular in the spring, when naturally rosé colored produce is in abundance, and also because “primavera” means spring in Italian. Nothing is better on a warm day than a healthy dish of pasta with a cold glass of wine.

Use whatever vegetables you like or have on hand, but I chose to stick with a theme here and opted for rainbow chard, shallots, purple asparagus… you get the idea. All of the purple and pink veggies dyed the pasta pink in my leftovers the next day; an unintended and welcome coincidence.

Of course, use your favorite noodle, but I recommend a short, flat one like strozzapreti or casaracce, ziti or rotini. Gluten free works very well in this dish, but if you can handle the gluten, I recommend it, as adding a bit of the starchy, salty cooking water makes a delicious difference in the outcome.

Rosé Pasta Primavera

A delicious, light summer pasta dish made with rosé wine.

2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp vegan buttery spread (divided, such as Earth Balance or Miyoko's (or sub with olive oil.))
½ cup shallot (or onion, chopped)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
¼ cup asparagus (chopped into ½" pieces)
1 pint tomatoes (cherry or grape, halved)
½ cup rainbow chard (chopped, including stems )
1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional, for heat)
¼ cup rosé (or other dry white wine (or omit))
1-2 tbsp lemon juice (fresh)
¼ cup pasta water (reserve immediately before draining cooked pasta; or sub low sodium vegetable stock)
2 tbsp basil (divided, fresh, chiffonade )
2 tbsp vegan cashew Parmesan (for garnish)
1 almond (grated on microplane, for garnish)

Make 4 servings of pasta according to package directions.
Save ¼ cup of the cooking water before draining cooked pasta. (Skip this step if using GF pasta).
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and warm olive oil and 1 tbsp vegan buttery spread.
Add onions, with a generous sprinkle of salt. Stir to coat and allow to sautée until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add all additional vegetables, including rainbow chard stems, but not their greens, and sautée for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Make sure to add salt and pepper to taste and red pepper flakes.
Turn heat up to high and as soon as the pan is hot, add wine and allow to simmer about 1 minute or until reduced by half.
Add ¼ cup reserved pasta water (do not use with GF pasta) and lemon juice.
Reduce heat back to medium and allow to simmer, about 5 minutes until vegetables are soft. Add greens and stir; allow to wilt.
Add 1 tbsp vegan buttery spread and 1 tbsp chopped basil, and stir until uniform.
Add to large bowl or pot with pasta and combine. Serve with an extra squeeze of lemon, vegan Parmesan cheese, or grated almond and remaining fresh basil.