A Healthy Quick & Easy Spring Dinner Recipes
Toss a garlicky, Middle Eastern-inspired yogurt sauce with pasta, shrimp, asparagus, peas and red bell pepper for a fresh, satisfying spring meal. Serve with: Slices of cucumber and tomato tossed with lemon juice and olive oil.
Ingredients
- 6 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti
- 12 ounces peeled and deveined raw shrimp (see Note), cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1½ cups nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt
- ¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts (see Tip; optional)
Preparation
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook 2 minutes less than package directions. Add shrimp, asparagus, bell pepper and peas and cook until the pasta is tender and the shrimp are cooked, 2 to 4 minutes more. Drain well.
- Mash garlic and salt in a large bowl until a paste forms. Whisk in yogurt, parsley, lemon juice, oil and pepper. Add the pasta mixture and toss to coat. Serve sprinkled with pine nuts (if using).
- Both wild-caught and farm-raised shrimp can damage the surrounding ecosystems when not managed properly. Look for shrimp certified by an independent agency, such as Wild American Shrimp or Marine Stewardship Council. If you can’t find certified shrimp, choose wild-caught shrimp from North America—it’s more likely to be sustainably caught.
- To toast pine nuts, place in a small dry skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring, until fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes.