Creamy Pasta Primavera Trial: Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Soy-free

Spring is coming, and asparagus is in season. I don’t often buy it, but as soon as it went on sale I bought some because I wanted to try adapting Creamy Pasta Primavera (from Taste of Home) to be Joseph-safe. I made the original recipe last year and really liked it, and I’ve been wanting a reason to experiment with a dairy-free alfredo type sauce, and this gave me the perfect excuse.

The Changes

I decided to use gluten-free shell shaped pasta instead of the spirals, since shells is what I had in my cupboard. I omitted the tomatoes, and used garlic powder instead of a clove of garlic. And instead of using a cream & parmesan based sauce, I adapted my Coconut-Ginger Sauce. And I added bacon, because that makes everything taste good.

The Method

Cook pasta according to package directions. Cook bacon until crispy. Trim off wooden stems of asparagus (bottom few inches) then cut the rest into pieces about 2″ long. (I got 4 pieces that were probably more like 1 1/2″ from each stalk). Peel carrots and slice them. Saute the vegetables in a large skillet until crisp-tender

In a separate bowl, combine 2 Tablespoons creamer with cornstarch. Add the rest of the creamer to the vegetables, along with all the spices. Here’s where I kind of made things up as I went, but I’m really glad with how it turned out. But I was too busy to take any pictures (well, I do have one picture, but it’s a bit blurry). Heat creamer mixture until boiling. Add cornstarch mixture, and stir until thickened. Add cooked pasta and crumbled bacon. Stir until it’s all coated with sauce.

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Creamy Pasta Primavera

Adapted from Taste of Home

Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Soy-free

Ingredients:

• 2 cups brown rice small shell pasta
• 1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2″ pieces
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 1 cup coconut creamer, divided
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled

Cook pasta according to package directions. Saute asparagus and carrots in canola oil in a large skillet until crisp-tender

In a small bowl, combine 2 Tablespoons coconut creamer with the cornstarch until smooth. Pour the rest of the creamer into the skillet with the vegetables. Stir in pepper, garlic powder, salt, and ginger. Heat until boiling. Add cornstarch mixture. Stir and cook until thickened. Add pasta and bacon, and stir until everything is coated with sauce.

Makes 2-3 main dish servings

What I Thought

I was very excited as I saw the sauce thicken up. It was just the consistency I wanted it. It does seem to have gotten a bit clumpy as I added the pasta and bacon. I’m not sure if that’s because I didn’t stir it enough, or if I let it heat too long. And the taste was very good too. It’s not alfredo. You can detect the sweet nutty coconut. But the flavors are pleasant. My husband had seconds and thirds “despite the vegetables.” My daughter didn’t eat anything until my husband and I were almost done. Then she decided to lick one of the noodles. She liked it enough to eat two of them. Joseph just ate the bacon. I don’t think he quite believed me that the shell shapes were noodles. He and his sister are too used to spaghetti noodles.

I’d definitely do this again.

Shared on Allergy Friendly Monday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Allergy Free Wednesday, and Gluten-free Wednesday

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