Creamy Asparagus Broccoli Pasta

Ingredients

2 cups broccoli florets - from about 1 crown
2 cups sliced asparagus - roughly 1-inch pieces, from about 1 small bunch
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt - to taste
Freshly ground black pepper - to taste
Red pepper flakes - to taste
2 5.2-ounce containers Boursin cheese - garlic and fine herbs variety
12 ounces dry penne pasta
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
½ to 1 lemon - juiced

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F/204 degrees C.
2. Put the broccoli and sliced asparagus in a 9×13 baking dish (or other rectangular casserole dish). Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Nestle the Boursin cheese in between the veggies in the center of the dish.
3. Bake for about 30 minutes until the veggies are tender and the cheese is lightly browned.
4. In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. **Before draining, reserve at least a cup of pasta water.**
5. Add the cooked pasta, dill, and lemon juice, to the baking dish with the veggies and cheese once they are cooked. Stir to coat everything in the warm Boursin cheese. Add splashes of the reserved pasta water to thin the sauce to your liking. Taste and add more herbs or lemon if desired.
Enjoy!

Notes:
This dish is best served right away, since the sauce thickens the longer it sits.
If you need the dish to be dairy free, use dairy free Boursin instead of regular. You can also substitute another type of soft cheese and herb spread if that’s what you can find.

If you need the dish to be gluten free or want to increase the protein content, substitute a legume-based pasta.
Use up to 16 ounces of pasta to serve a larger group if needed.