It's Springtime Pasta Bake

 

Here’s a delicious veggie-loaded pasta bake that's perfect for a springtime meal!  

 

Delicious!

It’s a great dish for the nights you want to go meatless.

 

I love versatile veggie dishes and made a meal of this ~ Bill was looking for meat with it, like chicken, which I served with the bake.

This is one of Alex Guarnaschelli’s recipes, which she evidently cooked on the "Today show."  I missed that but came across her recipe later.

I’m not sure, maybe it’s different where she resides, but zucchini and tomatoes are definitely not fresh "Spring" veggies in this neck of the woods, they're more like early to mid-summer fresh produce items here.

We were discussing this very topic over Sunday breakfast with Bubba, how it's considerably different now with produce --- do you remember back in the day, or remember hearing your grandparents discussing when fresh produce was only available "in season?"  

 

 

We ate what was available from the garden, rhubarb, spinach, salad greens and onions in the spring.  Strawberries only in May, early June for 2 or 3 weeks.  

Then we ready for tomatoes, green beans, sweet corn, cucumbers, cherries, blackberries, peaches, melons, summer squash and watermelon in summer.  

We looked forward to picking fresh apples in the fall, and during winter ordered oranges and grapefruit from Florida, they were heavenly!

In today's food economy, seasonality seems passe; most of us have bought into the fallacy that seasons no longer matter when we shop for food.  Our grocery stores have in a myriad of ways provided us with food from all across the U.S. even across oceans to ensure that we have a year-round supply of whatever produce we love.

 

 

Bill and I still like to shop "in season" at farmers' markets and farm stands for the freshest vegetables and luscious fruits.  We're lucky to have an abundance of farms with road-side stands and farmers' markets here in the Midwest; however, it will be another 2 or 3 weeks before they're open here.

 Regarding the recipe, start by simply filling a blender with sautéed celery, onions and garlic, then blend with tomatoes, water and a tad of sugar for a great sauce, it’s truly delicious!

 

 

In a large bowl, combine the tomato mixture and remaining vegetables, along with cooked pasta, pour into a baking dish and spread lots of cheese, and bake until there's a bubbly top.  

This simple pasta dish uses a combination of the earliest vegetables available in spring ~ asparagus, celery and onions.  The zucchini in the store was very small and not the best, I swapped it for yellow squash.  

Use the pasta you like:  rigatoni, shells or penne.  And include veggies you prefer, maybe snow peas, snap peas, green beans, whatever, your choice...

About anything goes with this dish, the veggies and cheeses you favor.

 

It makes for a tasty dinner or side dish...

The sauce is like icing on the cake!