Pasta Primavera with Creamy Ricotta Sauce and Parmesan Bread Crumbs

I am a new Foodbuzz Featured Publisher, which means I am privy to many fun new food-related opportunities. I am so excited that I joined just in time to participate in a recipe contest being held by Nature's Pride! Nature's Pride is one of the sponsors of the Foodbuzz Blogger Festival, and they are holding a recipe contest to select 6 Brand Ambassadors for the festival.

We were asked to come up with a unique recipe using Nature's Pride bread. And although I've never competed in a recipe contest before, I was certainly up for the challenge!

After a few trials, I have come up with a delicious recipe that is a keeper in my book: Pasta Primavera with Creamy Ricotta Sauce and Parmesan Bread Crumbs. It may seem weird to top carbs with carbs, but I am a runner after all! Besides, the crunchy bread atop the smooth sauce works so well. And it tastes darn good!

Pasta Primavera with Creamy Ricotta Sauce and Parmesan Bread Crumbs

serves 4

Pasta Ingredients:

1/2 lb rigatoni (or other short cut pasta)

1 Tbs butter

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 small zucchini

1 small yellow (Summer) squash

1 red bell pepper

1 tomato

10 fresh basil leaves

Sauce Ingredients:

3/4 c ricotta cheese (for a 'drier' dish; if you prefer it to be 'saucier', use 1 c)

1 Tbs butter

2 Tbs grated parmesan cheese (plus extra for serving)

salt and pepper to taste

Bread Crumbs Ingredients:

1 slice Nature's Pride bread

1 Tbs butter

1 Tbs grated parmesan cheese

1 Tbs fresh parsley, minced

Let's start with the bread crumbs, shall we? I have to say, after reading about so many other bloggers having trouble finding Nature's Pride bread near them, I was very excited to find it on the shelves of my favorite grocery store! I purchased a loaf of the Nutty Oat.

1. To make the bread crumbs, tear a slice of bread into chunks and put them in a food processor.

2. Give them a whir, until the chunks have been transformed into course bread crumbs.

3. Melt 1 Tbs of butter in a small pan over medium-high heat.

4. Add the bread crumbs to the pan, and stir to coat with the melted butter.

5. Add 1 Tbs of grated parmesan and stir to combine.

6. Stir constantly until the crumbs are toasted (about 5 minutes). Be forewarned, they will smell amazing! Remove from heat, stir in 1 Tbs minced fresh parsley, and resist eating them straight from the pan.

Now, let's get started on the rest of the dish!

1. Start by putting a pot of water on to boil the pasta.
2. At the same time, put a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add 1 Tbs butter to melt.
3. Roughly chop the mushrooms and add them to the butter. Saute until nicely golden brown (about 7 minutes), stirring occasionally.

4. Meanwhile, cut the zucchini, squash, and red bell pepper to be about the same size as the pasta.

5. Add the zucchini, squash, and pepper to the pan with the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper.

6. About this time, the water should have come to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions or until al dente. Before draining, reserve 1/2 c of the starchy pasta water.

7. Drain the pasta and put the empty pot back on the stove over medium heat to make the sauce. Add 1 Tbs butter, 2 Tbs parmesan, and the ricotta cheese. Stir until melted.

8. Add the pasta cooking water, 2 Tbs at a time, until the sauce reaches your desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste, keeping in mind that the parmesan is quite salty.

9. Add the cooked pasta and the sauce to the pan with the veggies (they should be crisp-tender after about 10 minutes.) Stir to combine and sprinkle with more parmesan, if desired . (I don't know about you, but I always desire more parmesan. )

10. Finish the dish by topping with the bread crumbs, a diced and de-seeded tomato, and basil chiffonade. Enjoy!