This creamy pasta primavera recipe is inspired by an appetizer served to my family by our friend from England, Leslie Ball. She combined sauteed vegetables with mascarpone cheese and spread the warm mixture onto crisp slices of baguette. My daughter, C.C., raved about the combination, so I turned Leslie's spread into a sauce for pasta.

Mrs. Ball used Mascarpone cheese in her delicious appetizer, but it has 60 calories a tablespoon and a price tag of just under $6, so I'm substituting reduced-fat cream cheese. If you're up for a splurge, you can find the creamy Italian cheese in the supermarket deli.

When a sauce is called primavera, that means it is a vegetable-based sauce. Here, I've used sauteed mushrooms and summer squash, but you can add many more vegetables to the dish without increasing the amount of pasta or sauce. Options include one bunch of asparagus, cut into one-inch pieces, small broccoli florets, thinly sliced fresh carrots and frozen petite peas (place the peas in a colander and run hot water over them for a minute or so to defrost them).

I like to toss this creamy vegetable sauce with bow-tie pasta, but it is also delicious served with cheese tortellini. A garnish of diced tomato and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese complete the dish. Garlic bread from the bakery or freezer aisle is all you need to round out your menu.

CREAMY PASTA PRIMAVERA

8 ounces (1/2 box) bow-tie pasta

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

8 ounces sliced mushrooms

1 small zucchini, washed, dried and cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 small yellow summer squash, washed, dried and cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 teaspoon Italian seasonings

1 teaspoon minced garlic, about 1 large clove

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 8-ounce block reduced-fat cream cheese, cut into small pieces

1 cup skim milk

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish

1 medium tomato, chopped

Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Melt butter in a large nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms and cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini and yellow squash and sautà 2-3 minutes, until tender. Add the seasonings, garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the cream cheese, the milk and Parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce bubbles. Stir in the pasta.

Serve in pasta bowls, topping each serving with chopped tomato and additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Makes 6 servings.

COMING NEXT WEEK: Karin's Quick Individual Tomato Pies are delicious appetizers or a great summer side dish.

Reach Karin Calloway in care of The Augusta Chronicle Newsroom, P.O. Box 1928, Augusta, GA 30903 or at karin.calloway@comcast.net.