This incredible pasta Primavera recipe is lightweight, fresh and made with many seasonal vegetables thrown in a light lemon cream sauce.
Pasta Primavera is right in my alley. If you like pasta and vegetables, this is for you too! There are plenty of fresh vegetables, it has a lovely light color and lemon cream sauce and blends together in 25 minutes.
I love vegetarian pasta and can’t wait for you to make this. For more information, see our vegetarian pasta made with red sauce.
Key Ingredients
- All vegetables: Usually starting in the spring, Pasta Primavera is usually made with seasonal vegetables, but some summer vegetables are also often seen thrown in. Think of peas, broccoli, zucchini, mung beans, onions, peppers, asparagus and cherry tomatoes.
- pasta: You can use any pasta shape, but I like short pasta shapes like Penne or Fusilli because they are similar in size to the vegetables in this dish, so it’s easy to have a bite with a fork.
- Garlic and lemon: To capture fresh, bright flavor, use lemon zest and fresh lemon juice in a light cream sauce. We also used 4 garlic to get a light garlic flavor throughout the dish.
- cream: Classic Pasta Primavera (original from the 1970s Le Cirque restaurant) brings together vegetables and pasta with butter cream sauce. We won’t use much cream, but it does bring everything together in this recipe.
- broth: Use light soup for sauces, such as vegetable soup or chicken soup.
- cheese: I like Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano, but they aren’t always vegetarian. To make sure this is a vegetarian pasta, use the vegetarian cheese on the package.
- Fresh herbs: This pasta dish is much better when you add a lot of fresh green herbs to the top right before you eat it. Fresh basil leaves, mint and parsley are my on-call.
Find the complete recipe in the measurements below.
My Tips for Making Pasta Primavera
Tip 1: Cook the pasta in seasoning water. This tip is correct for most pasta recipes, but is especially important for this recipe. The sauce is fresh and so it’s easy to season. Starting with a well-seasoned pasta is key. For 6 quarts of water, use 1 tablespoon of salt.
Tip 2: Cook the more heartbreaking vegetables first. You will all put all the frying pans (please use a large frying pan!). While your pasta is cooking, you can start sautéing the vegetables of onions or broccoli (such as broccoli). If you are using fewer hearty vegetables (such as spinach or cherry tomatoes), add them in a few minutes to avoid being too mushy. Then, once they start to tenderize, remove them from the pan and make a lemon cream sauce.
Tip 3: Throw pasta with the sauce in the frying pan. This way your sauce attaches to the pasta and vegetables, tossing them in a warm skillet. If it looks dry, add some pasta cooking water, which has some starch. That starch helps the sauce thicken and starts to cling to the noodles.
More Vegetable Pasta Recipes
Pasta Primavera
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Prepare
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This pasta Primavera recipe is a light vegetarian pasta dish. Use seasonal spring or summer vegetables to make and start with tossing the remaining vegetables for a few minutes, giving hearty vegetables (such as broccoli and onions).
6 servings
You will need
1 lb Penne Pasta or other short pasta (450g)
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups bite-sized broccoli or broccoli
1 zucchini, cut into half a month
1 yellow pumpkin, cut into half a month
3 shallots, sliced
1 cup frozen peas
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
⅛Teaspoon gochugaru pepper or red pepper flakes
1 cup vegetable soup (236 ml)
⅔ cup heavy cream (157 ml)
1 tablespoon lemon peel
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 oz Parmiano-Regiano cheese, finely ground, piled up ½ cup, plus food (28g)
Chopped fresh herbs, such as basil, mint or parsley, for use in food
Salt and fresh black pepper, as needed
direction
1Chef Pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil with a tablespoon of salt. Add the pasta and cook until Al Dente (tender, with nice chew). Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
2Cook hearty vegetables: When cooking pasta, heat the olive oil over medium heat (or use a Dutch oven). Add broccoli and cook, stirring occasionally, until bright green and tender.
3Add less hearty vegetables: Add the zucchini, yellow squash, scallions and peas and continue to cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until all the vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper, then transfer to a plate and set aside.
4Make sauce: On the same skillet, add butter, sliced garlic and gochugaru pepper, and cook for one minute, stirring the garlic onto the pan. Pour into vegetable soup and cook over low heat. Add the cream, lemon zest and lemon juice and continue cooking until the sauce is seasoned for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir the Parmesan cheese. Taste and season with salt.
5Finish: Add the cooked pasta and vegetables to the skillet and throw away to combine. If it looks dry, add a few tablespoons of reserved pasta water. Keep tossing until the sauce is coated with vegetables and pasta. Serve with fresh herbs and more cheeses scattered on top.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- storage: The remaining pasta will be left in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Heat slowly over low heat with extra broth or water.
- More vegetables to consider: For hearty veggies, consider mung beans, asparagus, red onions, sweet onions and chili. For less hearty veggies, we like frozen edamame, snow peas, spinach or kale and cherry tomatoes.
- The nutritional information provided is an estimate.
Nutrition per serving
Service size
1/6 of the recipe
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Calories
485
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Total fat
18.8 grams
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Saturated fat
6.6 grams
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cholesterol
24.2mg
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sodium
221.2mg
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carbohydrate
66.2g
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Dietary fiber
4.8 grams
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Total sugar
5.4 grams
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protein
14.1g
We are Adam and Joanne, a couple who are passionate about cooking and sharing delicious, reliable recipes since 2009. Our goal? Inspire you to enter the kitchen and cook fresh and delicious meals confidently.
