When Anel and I were in nutrition school, one of our teachers, an expert in ayurvedic named John Douillard, spoke a lot about the importance of eating seasonally, especially in the spring. According to Ayurveda, this season is particularly important because it’s a time to clean out your gut after all of the heavy, fat-rich foods that our bodies crave during the winter. I’ve heard it called ‘shedding your winter coat.’

It’s time to eat lighter, brighter foods. Foods that are bright in color and full of nutrients.

One of his tips that has stuck with me through the years was to eat as many berries and spring vegetables as possible in April and May to cleanse your body for summer. That’s been in my head this month, so I am sharing a recipe that’s packed with spring greens and plenty of fresh herbs.

For this recipe, you can pretty much use whatever green vegetables you’re vibing with. I went with green beans, sugar snap peas, English peas, asparagus, leeks, and scallions. I picked those because they looked vibrant and fresh at the grocery store.

The original recipe that I found used crème fraîche or Greek yogurt to make it creamy and delicious but since I can’t eat much cow’s milk, I used sheep milk yogurt and it turned out great! I haven’t tried this yet but I am going to try goat cheese next time too for a totally different taste.

The pasta is creamy, super flavorful and herbaceous, and doesn’t make you feel heavy or weighed down after you eat a bowl of it. With the ratios I used, it was about equal parts vegetable to pasta in each bowl.

A few tips: 1. Don’t overcook the vegetables. You want them to still have some crunch and you want to keep as many nutrients in there as possible. 2. Tarragon is delicious and smells amazing but if you use too much it will way overpower the dish. 3. I used a lot of garlic but if you’re sensitive to it, use only one or two cloves. Don’t forget to save the pasta water! It makes all the difference. 5. It’s best enjoyed fresh! I’m all about leftovers, but this didn’t save as well as I had hoped it would.

Spring Pasta Primavera Recipe

Serves 3-4.

Ingredients:
– 1 cup of sugar snap peas, halved and stems trimmed
– 1 cup ofFrench green beans, roughly chopped
– 1 bunch of asparagus, roughly chopped
– 1/2 cup of English peas (fresh not frozen)
– 1 leek, chopped
– 1 shallot (optional), minced
– 4 garlic cloves, minced
– 2 tablespoons of butter
– Salt and pepper to taste
– 1 box of fettuccine (fresh if possible)
– 2/3 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
– 1/2 cup of crème fraîche or Greek yogurt (I used sheep’s milk yogurt)
– 1/2 bunch of finely chopped parsley
– 1 tablespoon of finely chopped tarragon

Directions:
1. Bring a pot of water to a boil for cooking pasta.
2. While the water heats up, chop your veggies and herbs the way you like them cut.
3. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add leek and optional shallot. Cook for about 3 minutes, until they’re fragrant.
4. Add green veggies and cook about 4 minutes until they turn bright green. Don’t overcook!
5. Add in garlic and cook for another minute.
6. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.
7. Cook pasta, drain it saving about 1/4 cup of the pasta water and transfer it to a big bowl.
8. Mix the cooked veggies with the pasta and add yogurt, pasta water, cheese, and fresh herbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
9. Serve and enjoy! It tastes better when it’s freshly made.

Do you have any great spring green-focused recipes? Share the links below so I can try them out!

Everlane Tee / Everlane Jeans

Photos by Julia Dags.