Garden-Fresh Pasta Recipes

Celebrate the return of spring with our fresh pasta recipes brightened by garden herbs.

There is no better cure for a winter-weary palate than growing a garden in the spring—and once your fledgling backyard plot forms some roots, the ethereal aromas of herbs and veggies will beg for meal incorporation. Here are some ways to let your garden-greats shine using one of dinnertime’s most popular blank canvas—pasta.

Fresh herbs can be added to practically any pasta recipe for increased flavor. Strong parsley, basil and rosemary go well in Italian dishes, thyme compliments lemony Mediterranean meals and cool cilantro freshens sauces with an almost perfumed flavor.

A light pesto sauce is our favorite way to marry thin pastas such as angel hair, linguine and spaghetti with herbs. But keep in mind popular basil isn’t the only pesto possibility—cilantro and arugula also make fabulous pesto bases. Click the image above for a cilantro pesto sauce pasta recipe.

Most herbs are planted in early spring for a summertime or early fall harvest, but grow your herbs indoors and you will likely be able to harvest earlier and continue to do so year round. Click the image above to see how to grow your own indoor garden.

 

For more fresh dinner ideas consult our collection of herb infused pasta recipes below.

—By Emily Arno