Super-fast pasta relies on a few tricks

You can't beat a pasta dish when you need to toss together a quick dinner.


It's ideal because most dried pastas can be ready to eat in less than 10 minutes. If you're really in a hurry, fresh pasta can be ready in about 3 minutes.


Here are a few tips:


* Make sure the vegetables are cut uniformly for even cooking. Any vegetables will do. Think asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans and even spinach. In today's recipe, half a bag of mixed yellow and green beans squirreled away in the freezer did the trick.



* The most time-consuming part of this recipe is prepping the herbs. You can use any variety, just make sure they're fresh, not dried. Keep in mind, too, that sage and rosemary are fairly strong and can easily overpower a dish.

* When preparing fresh herbs, gently rinse them under cool water, but don't soak them. Dry them well with paper towels before chopping. It's best to chop them just before you add them to the recipe.
