Herb Cream on Soba Pasta

New Veggie's Note:

This is one of my favorites. It's very filling and easier to make than it looks (especially if you do all the prep-work and then lay it out so you can just grab and add). Even my "gourmet" boss at work was jealous of my lunch. Can make it vegan too by using soy milk.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup peeled and julienned carrot
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 cup sliced scallion
• 4 cups chopped cauliflower
• 4 cups chopped broccoli
• 4 ½ cups milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ cup cornstarch
• ½ cup chopped watercress (optional)
• 6 cups cooked soba noodles (or pasta of your choice)

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Sauté the carrots, cilantro, and scallions for 2 minutes.
2. Add the cauliflower and broccoli and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. To the vegetables, add 4 cups of milk and the salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer.
4. Mix the remaining 1/2 cup milk and the cornstarch together until smooth. Add it to the vegetables to create a smooth sauce.
5. Stir the chopped watercress into the sauce and set aside for 2 minutes.
6. Spoon the sauce over the pasta and serve immediately.

Reviews

[DbKnadler]

This made a lot. I was expecting it to be more of a side dish portion, but this could easily have been the main course for us. I used fettucini as I could not find Soba at my normal grocery store. I thought this turned out fabulous. I wasn't able to snap a picture because we were all to hungry to wait. The change I would make is to cut back a bit on the onions. I love them but the family isn't crazy for them, so for us I would probably omit them from the recipe and just add as a topping to my own serving. Thanks for sharing a great recipe! Reviewed for PAC Spring 2008. EDIT: July 17th. Made again and took a pic this time. This time I used whole wheat spaghetti, also when I was at the store I could have sworn I remembered this having mushrooms so I picked up a couple portabello tops. Opps, I added them any way it just added another layer of texture and flavor (in a good way). Also I am not so fond of watercress so I subbed in some chopped fresh baby spinach at the end and it was fab. I used my wok to cook in since this is quite a large dish and it didn't feel quite so overloaded this time. Thanks again New Veggie! EDIT(again): I added some tuna to the leftovers we had of this and it made it into a wonderful tuna casserole, not the same old bland thing that mom used to make thats for sure. Yum!