Perhaps you’re not planning to serve breakfast to Mom. Maybe you’re planning a brunch or an after-church lunch. This delicious spring pasta dish will be just the thing. Serve it with the delicious salad I’m going to post tomorrow, some bread, and a dessert, and you’ll have the perfect meal. And all for much less money (and much less of a wait) than the local Italian food eatery.

Perfect Pasta Primavera

1 cup sliced zucchini
1 cup sliced broccoli
1 1/2 cups snow peas
1 cup baby peas
6 asparagus spears, sliced
10 white mushrooms, sliced
1 heaping tablespoon salt, preferable kosher
1 pound fettucine (you could also make this with a penne or a tortellini)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
5 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped

Fit a steamer basket into a large pot. Add a small amount of water to the pot and bring to a boil. Place the zucchini, broccoli, snow peas, baby peas, asparagus, and mushrooms in the steamer basket, cover, and steam until tender, about 3 minutes. Rinse the vegetables under cold water and allow to drain. (If you don’t have a steamer basket, just put them in a pot with just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Try to put the larger vegetables, like broccoli, on the bottom.)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the salt and the fettucine. Cook until al dente. (If you’re not sure when pasta is al dente, just cook it the amount of time that’s on the package— it will probably be fine.)

Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat. Ad the pine nuts and garlic and cook, stirring, until they begin to turn golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, and then the steamed vegetables. Next add the parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until all the vegetables are heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.

Drain the pasta and add it to the saute pan. Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano, butter, cream, and basil, and heat thoroughly. Toss, then scatter the tomatoes on top. Serve immediately.