Pasta Primavera after the Museum

How I took three children to the museum and then made dinner, and we ate by 5:45, and had 6 vegetables, and my tidy trio of young gentlemen ate it all

We spend a lot of our spare time at our local museum. Sometimes, its a reward for doing well after a long week and we've needed a lot of those lately as Spring fever hits our house. Here is Elliot after a "Use-eum" at the Holter Museum in Helena.

Today I was in East Helena early because of a meeting for a student of mine, and it finished earlier than I had anticipated. My nerdy self immediately thought, "Yes, I can take the kids to the museum!" I ran home, picked up our two youngest kids and offered my husband the much coveted gift of some silence before he had to go to work for the evening. We picked up our kindergartner and rolled into Exploration Works kids museum and spent an hour playing.

That hour we spent playing was an hour I often use for dinner prep, so as we left the museum at 4:45 I was thinking quick about dinner. We do not do fast food, and as I was flying solo, I would not brave anywhere sit-down with three hooligans. It jumped in my mind that I had all the makings for a quick Pasta Primavera, and it was done within 45 minutes, where I was interrupted at least seven times to parent, etc.

Pasta Primavera

2 cups pasta (I used bow tie)

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup chopped sweet onion

3 cloves minced garlic

2 cups green chard, chopped

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

1 red pepper, chopped

1 yellow crook neck squash, chopped

1 cup sour cream

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon dried basil (or 1/2 cup fresh if you have it)

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Cook your pasta in boiling water until tender with a teaspoon of salt in the water. While your pasta is cooking, add your olive oil and butter together in your pan (yes both) and saute your onions while you chop the other veggies to give them a head start on sweetening up.

After the rest of the veggies are chopped, saute them at medium high heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. In measuring beaker, mix the sour cream and milk with a whisk until combined well (some lumps will remain.) Add the milk mixture and stir to incorporate. Add 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper, and your basil. Allow to simmer for 3-5 minutes and then slowly add in the Parmesan, stirring to melt and incorporate it. Parm tends to stick to the bottom of the pan and doesn't always melt in well. I am at peace with this and ok with the chunks.

Add your drained, cooked pasta to the mix, allow to mellow together at low heat for a few minutes and then serve in bowls. It was incredible. And my kids at it all.