Cat Country 94.1 knows that Tri-State moms have a lot on their plates.. Sometimes, making sure their families have dinner on their plates can be a challenge! That’s why Karen shares quick and easy, budget friendly recipes on Cat Country 94.1 each Wednesday! If you have a recipe you want Karen to try, send us a message on Facebook!

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It’s officially Spring, and this is a pasta dish I love making during the season. You can really switch out the veggies for anything you prefer, but I love asparagus & peas this time of year- and the mushrooms are great for keeping this vegetarian without missing the meat. (but you could of course throw some meat in, I’ve made it with chicken and it’s still fantastic!) I got this recipe from the Food Network website, it’s a recipe from Giada De Laurentiis, and I just tweaked it a bit. She uses walnuts and nutmeg in hers, I left those out and also added the peas. A note on the mascarpone cheese- if you’ve never used it, I highly recommend it. It’s an Italian soft cream cheese, but in a pinch you could use regular cream cheese here.

Ingredients:
1 pound farfalle (bow-tie) pasta

3 tablespoons butter

1 pound cremini mushrooms, thickly sliced

1 pound thin asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup fresh or frozen peas (thawed)

1 cup mascarpone cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan

Instructions:
Cook the pasta according to package directions to al dente. Reserve one cup of the pasta water, then drain.

If using fresh peas, blanch one minute then set aside.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and saute 5 minutes. Add the asparagus and saute another 5-6 minutes. Add the peas, then the pasta. Stir in the mascarpone and toss until the cheese coats the pasta. You’ll need the reserved pasta water here, add about 1/4 of it at a time until you get the consistency you want in your cheese “sauce.” Season as needed with salt & paper, then top with parmesan cheese & serve!