When your garden first starts to give you vegetables, there generally isn't an abundance of any one thing. There may be a few ripe tomatoes, some peas, a handful of kale and fresh herbs. None of them give you enough to make a main dish or even a side dish just on their own. That is where pasta comes in. It makes a great vehicle for all of those fresh vegetables so that you can turn them into a delicious dinner. If you are not a big pasta home because of the starches or maybe a gluten allergy, use lentil pasta. That is what I always do. The lentil pasta is made solely of lentils and provides a great source of protein. The best thing about this dish is that you can make it with whatever you have. Pull those few vegetables that are nice and ripe from your garden, grab your favorite herbs and pull out whatever protein you have in your fridge. 30 minutes later you have dinner.
​Ingredients 1/2 c of fresh Peas 1 c chopped Kale 1/2 head Cauliflower ​1 Tbsp. fresh Thyme ​2 tsp. fresh Rosemary 1 Lemon ​1 8oz box Lentil Pasta ​1 link of Smoked Sausage 1 Onion diced ​3 Garlic cloves minced ​1/2 c Grated Parmesan Instructions Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. This is so you can roast your cauliflower. Break down your cauliflower, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes, flip each piece and roast for another 15 minutes or until you start to get a golden brown color and
a tender texture. ​In the meantime cook your lentil pasta (or regular pasta) per the package directions. Make sure you salt the water and hold out about 1 cup of pasta water before draining the pasta once cooked. ​In a skillet, start to brown your onion in a little bit of olive oil. Season with salt. Cook the onion for about 5-10 minutes, until it becomes slightly brown. Cut up your sausage into bite sized pieces and add to the onions. Cook for another 10 minutes then toss into the garlic for a minute. ​Place the pasta in a large pot and add in the roasted cauliflower, sausage and onion mixture and your fresh peas and kale. Chop up your herbs and add them to the pot as well with the zest and juice of your lemon, the pasta water and the Parmesan. ​Season the whole dish with salt and pepper to taste. Let it all cook together over medium-low heat for 3-5 minutes, until it all comes together. ​Filling, delicious, healthy and fresh!