Looking for a fresh and fun dinner idea? Try Pasta Primavera, the veggie-filled pasta here to liven up your dinner! As two cookbook authors, we created this delicious spin to highlight the vegetables of the season (and not copy popular restaurant versions of the dish!). Here, tender pasta is mixed with spring vegetables like asparagus, broccolini, peas and carrots. It’s tossed in a light and creamy sauce and comes together in under 30 minutes, making it the ideal weeknight meal! Jump to the recipe—now.
The story behind pasta primavera
Pasta Primavera is an American pasta dish featuring fresh vegetables invented in the 1970’s. The dish was created by a New York chef named Sirio Maccioni at the home of an Italian businessman in Nova Scotia of all places. The dish mixed butter, cream, cheese, pasta and fresh vegetables, and went on to become popular all over the world. While it doesn’t sound like a revolutionary combination now, it was the first of its kind. Since then, Pasta Primavera has popped up on restaurant menus across the globe, popularly at Italian American chains like Olive Garden. There’s really no “right” way to make this dish: no specifications on the exact sauce or the type of vegetables. Primavera means spring in Italian, so often you’ll see it with spring vegetables like asparagus and carrot. But just as many spins use summer vegetables like zucchini and tomatoes, so there’s a lot of variation!
What’s in this pasta primavera recipe?
In our opinion, a good Pasta Primavera should feature spring vegetables just like the title indicates, so that’s what we’ve used here. The veggies are accessorized with a creamy Parmesan sauce that makes everything taste irresistible. You’ll cook the pasta, sauté the veggies, make a quick cream sauce and mix it all together. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and serve it warm! Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe:
Pasta: any shape! we like tortelli (shown), but any short or long shape works Olive oil Baby bella mushrooms Asparagus Leek: leek is a uniquely tasty spring vegetable; substitute shallot if you can’t find it Broccolini: we love the elegant shape of broccolini here! You can substitute broccoli Peas Carrot For the sauce: butter, garlic, flour, milk and Parmesan cheese
Tips for cooking pasta to al dente
When it comes to any pasta dish, here’s the key: cook the pasta to the perfect al dente. Al dente means “to the bite” in Italian: pasta that’s tender with a firm center. Overcooked pasta turns out rubbery and unappetizing, and interestingly, it has less nutrients and makes you less full. Here are some tips on how to cook pasta to al dente:
Set your timer a few minutes before the package instructions indicate. The timing on many pasta packages makes for overcooked pasta. Start taste testing the pasta a few minutes before the package says to. Taste test and look for small white fleck at the core. You want to catch it right when there’s a small white fleck at the core, or just when it disappears.
Making the pasta primavera sauce
A few tips on the pasta primavera sauce: the sauce is a quick Parmesan sauce made with a roux. A “roux” is flour and butter cooked together that’s used to thicken sauces. The cooking goes quickly, so you’ll want to understand the basic idea before you start.
Measure out the ingredients first, and don’t leave the stove. The cooking process goes so fast, you’ll want to have everything measured in advance. Melt butter and sauté the garlic 30 seconds. Be careful not to overcook: you don’t want it to brown! Add flour and whisk constantly. Whisk constantly and cook just until it’s a golden color; be careful not to overcook. Whisk in the milk gradually. Add a splash of milk and whisk constantly, then keep adding a few splashes at a time until the sauce is smooth. Simmer for several minutes, and the roux will thicken the sauce! It may feel like it won’t thicken, but it comes together in about 5 minutes.
Serving pasta primavera
This pasta primavera recipe takes a little over 30 minutes to make, but it’s pretty hands on: you don’t have a lot of waiting time to prep other items. So to make it into a meal, you’ll want some quick and simple sides. You can also add cooked protein to make the dish more filling. Here are a few ideas:
Add a simple salad like Easy Arugula Salad or Watercress Salad with Apple & Parmesan. Serve with bread, garlic bread or Garlic Toast. Add a cooked protein like chicken, shrimp, or tofu for a more filling main course. Go with a simple vegetable side dish like Easy Cannellini Beans, Sauteed Broccolini or Lemony Broiled Asparagus.
More pasta recipes
Love pasta at mealtime? Here are a few pasta recipes that will make dinnertime delicious:
Try asparagus pasta or pasta with peas. Bake a pan of stuffed shells or a pot of arrabiata sauce. Make quick and simple lemon ricotta pasta, penne pomodoro or tasty pomodoro sauce. Try Cajun shrimp pasta. Opt for mushroom pasta or burrata pasta.
This pasta primavera recipe is…
Vegetarian. For vegan and plant-based, substitute 1 ½ cups Vegan Alfredo Sauce for the sauce ingredients or go to Vegan Pasta Primavera. For gluten-free, use gluten-free pasta. 5 from 6 reviews
