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Here in Chicago, we have had a pretty easy winter, especially compared to the rest of the country. And so far the month of March has been like late spring, then back to winter and back to spring etc. I’m not complaining mind you. Of all of the myriad things to complain about in the world right now, Chicago’s weather is not one of them.

So on one of the spring-like days, I decided to come up with a recipe that was appropriate for the weather. While the version I actually made was vegan, you could easily substitute dairy where I will indicate, if making vegan recipes is not your thing.

Any ridged or textured pasta will work here, but I chose to use a red lentil rotini pasta to give us a good hit of protein that otherwise would be lacking. I also used a vegan bouillon cube where you could use chicken. And vegan cream, where either dairy half & half or cream could be used.

Just before serving, I topped ours with vegan parmesan-style cheese. I will say that while there have been huge strides in vegan products, the vegan cheeses that I have tried so far are just “okay.” But then I tend to like strong cheeses and these have generally been fairly mild. Texture-wise, the cheeses are very good and several melt beautifully. The only other issue that I have with vegan cheese is the color. Since there are many vegetable food colorings out there, I’m not sure why so many of the cheeses present as a not overly enticing greige color. I’m sure that in time, this will be sorted out as well.

But I digress. Springtime Pasta comes together quite quickly and there are no special skills required in making it. Because it does come together quickly, though, prep everything ahead of starting to cook.

My husband and I loved this lovely fresh sauce and the lemon zest and mint added just the right amount of brightness to the recipe. So when you are in need of a bit of weeknight inspiration, give this recipe a try.

Recipe

Yield: About 4 generous servings

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons EVOO or avocado oil

8 to 10 ounces of your favorite pasta

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 vegan bouillon cube

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup of plant-based heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Zest of a small lemon or to taste

1 large shallot or small onion, thinly sliced

1 pound of fresh asparagus

8 ounces of mushroom, sliced into 3 thickish pieces (I like baby Bellas but white mushroom work as well.)

1 cup frozen peas, slightly thawed

1/3 cup of sliced sundried tomatoes in olive oil

One cup of pasta water

A handful of coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley with about 2 Tablespoons of chopped mint

Directions

Cut off the woody end of the asparagus and then cut the remaining asparagus into 3 pieces.

While you are starting to cook, prep your pasta water and get it boiling. Cook your pasta to the shortest recommended cooking time since it will continue to cook in the sauce for another minute or two. When the pasta is just about finished cooking, remove one cup+ of the pasta water and set it aside. One cup is fine if you are eating all of the pasta in one sitting. If you plan on refrigerating a portion, I would add another half cup to keep the pasta and sauce loose for reheating.

In a deep skillet or small Dutch oven, sauté the shallot, mushrooms, and asparagus pieces in the oil for 3 to 5 minutes or until they begin to soften but not brown. You can partially cover the pan to speed things along.

Add in the sundried tomatoes, lemon zest, salt, pepper, crumbled bouillon cube and frozen peas. When everything is hot, add in the wine. Toss everything through well and continue cooking for about 10 minutes.

Add in the cream, pasta and pasta water and stir through. It may seem like too much liquid at first, but the pasta will absorb it. Just before you are ready to serve, toss in your parsley and mint, reserving about 2 Tablespoonsful to sprinkle on top for presentation. Top with your cheese of choice or eat it as is.