Rachael Ray’s Spaghetti Alla Primavera is Cheap and Filling

Rachael Ray firmly believes that a pantry with everyday staples will always yield a good result when it comes to creating cheap, filling, and healthy meals. Food Network star Ray is best known for her bold and flavorful dishes that combine protein and vegetables and some starches. However, there are some tried and true recipes Ray leans into more often than others. Her cheap and filling Spaghetti Alla Primavera is one of those great recipes for a quick and satisfying meal that utilizes lots of produce and inexpensive pasta to create a feast for the eyes and taste buds.

Rachael Ray loves pasta

Ray relies on her Italian heritage when it comes to the hundreds of pasta recipes she’s developed for more than 20 cookbooks and recipes featured on her syndicated television series and newsstand magazines.

Ray has utilized Durham, whole wheat, squid ink, and vegetable noodles in her dishes, to name the stars of her pasta recipes.

Many of these creations feature a protein as the main component.

Traditionally proteins are used as a flavoring in pasta dishes instead of as their centerpiece. Therefore, these dishes can be cheaper than others as less protein is utilized.

Others feature in-season vegetables. Shopping in season allows for more variety and lower costs when flavoring pasta dishes.

These tricks and tips can help to get this weeknight dinner favorite on the table in a flash.

The ingredients Ray uses to create this tasty dish

There are several components to the recipe for Ray’s Spaghetti Alla Primavera.

The first are the ingredients for the base recipe. These include olive oil, butter, mushrooms, asparagus, leeks, zucchini, and peas.

Also needed are salt and pepper, white wine, heavy cream, nutmeg, pepper, and dried spaghetti pasta.

Ray suggests adding pine nuts, olive oil, cherry tomatoes, garlic, basil, and parmesan cheese for serving.

Most of these are pantry items.

However, if the vegetables mentioned above are not to your liking, these can be interchanged with those your family enjoys.

How to make Rachael Ray’s Spaghetti Alla Primavera

There are five steps in total to prepare this hearty and delicious recipe.

First, boil water for the pasta.

Secondly, heat olive oil and butter in a large frying pan before adding mushrooms, followed by asparagus, leeks, zucchini, and peas. Follow with several pinches of salt and pepper to flavor the vegetables.

Cook until tender. Then, add wine to the pan, and cook until reduced before adding the cream.

Add nutmeg and pepper before it comes to a low boil. At this stage, the sauce will thicken.

Add salt to pasta water, followed by dried noodles. Cook until al dente.

While the pasta boils, toast pine nuts over a low flame in a third pan. Then, please remove it from the skillet.

Add olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, salt, and basil.

Toss the pasta, cooking water, and half the grated cheese with the sauce.

Place the pasta in a large serving and top with tomatoes, pine nuts, and cheese.

The complete recipe for Rachael Ray’s Spaghetti Alla Primavara can be found on her official blog.

The Rachael Ray Show airs weekdays in syndication.