Healthy Creamy Pasta With Squash, Carrots & Walnuts

Step 1: Vegetables ... I usually grate my vegetables by hand; but, the food processor works great for this.

Step 2: Add the olive oil to a saute pan, and bring to medium high heat. Add the carrots, red pepper flakes, a pinch of salt and pepper; and, saute 2 minutes. Then add the zucchini, yellow squash, garlic, and shallot, and cook another 2 minutes. That is it - you do NOT want to over cook the vegetables - they should be crisp but tender. Remove from the heat, transfer to small bowl, add the lemon juice and zest, herbs; and, toss to combine. Cover with foil to keep warm.

Step 3: Pasta ... Cook the pasta according to package directions, in plenty of salted water. You can use dry pasta; however, fresh pasta is really best in this recipe. And, fresh pasta is really quick cooking, so keep an eye on it. Once the pasta is done; drain, return to the pot; but reserve a cup of the cooking water.

Step 4: Finish ... Add the cooked vegetables to the drained pasta, along with the ricotta, pecorino cheese; walnuts, and, toss to combine. The heat of the pasta and vegetables, is enough to heat up the cheese. I like to add a little of the reserved pasta water to loosen up the sauce and make it creamy. Make sure to re-season with salt and pepper, if necessary.

Step 5: Serve and ENJOY! ... Transfer to a serving bowl; drizzle with a little olive oil and a few extra herbs. The vegetables will have a little crispness to them, which is what you want. It is a really nice, delicious; yet easy dish to prepare. Again, it is a great main 'meatless' dish; or, a great side dish.