Looking for a meal that’s packed with flavor and fresh, colorful veggies? Then you’ll love this pasta primavera recipe!
A quick creamy parmesan sauce is tossed with pasta and sweet spring vegetables for a delicious meal with great flavor.
Pasta primavera is incredibly easy to prepare, making it a perfect choice for a busy weeknight or a light dinner on a warm summer night! Serve it with a crisp salad and warm garlic bread
Fresh, Flavorful and Easy!
- Pasta primavera is packed with fresh, seasonal veggies.
- Quick and easy to make, the creamy parmesan sauce is both light and flavorful.
- Perfect for serving year-round – hearty enough for cooler months, but light and fresh enough for warmer weather.
- Versatile and customizable – swap out the veggies or add in your favorite protein for a personalized dish. Add grilled shrimp or chicken for a heartier dish, if desired.
- Great for feeding a crowd or meal prep – the recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.
Ingredients for Pasta Primavera
Vegetables – Use fresh, seasonal veggies or frozen for the best flavor. Asparagus and peas are favorite choices, feel free to mix and match them with other colorful veggies.
Butter – Sautéing the vegetables in butter adds extra richness and flavor, but you can also use a light oil like canola or avocado oil.
Pasta – Medium-sized pasta shapes like penne, fusilli, or bowtie pasta work best as they can hold the sauce and veggies well. Linguine is another great option.
Sauce – Thicken the sauce by creating a slurry with cornstarch and broth or water. Use either chicken or vegetable broth for flavor. Half-and-half can be used instead of heavy cream but it will result in a slightly thinner sauce.
How to Make Pasta Primavera
- Cook pasta and set aside.
- Meanwhile, sauté vegetables with a bit of garlic and butter.
- Add broth and cream and thicken slightly with cornstarch.
- Stir in parmesan and pasta. Serve immediately.
Like most skillet meals, this dish is perfect with a fresh salad, tossed salad, or even a Greek Cucumber Salad. Add in some French bread or crusty bread to sop up any sauce in the bowl.
Tips for Perfect Primavera
- Cook veggies until they are tender-crisp, but not overcooked.
- Cook the pasta al dente and do not rinse it.
- Reserve a bit of pasta water to add to the pasta and adjust the sauce consistency.
- Cut veggies in uniform sizes for even cooking. Use frozen veggies if short on time, and no need to thaw them before adding them to the pan.
- Don’t overcook the veggies, you’ll want them to be a little bit tender-crisp.
Storing Leftovers
Keep leftover pasta primavera in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop with a little milk to thin out the sauce.
Perfect Veggie Pastas
Did you make this Pasta Primavera? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Creamy Pasta Primavera
Ingredients
- 12 ounces medium pasta cooked
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1 cup zucchini sliced
- ½ cup asparagus trimmed
- ½ cup bell pepper diced, red, yellow or orange
- ⅔ cup grape or cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup petite peas
- ½ cup snow peas
Sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ cup parmesan cheese shredded
Instructions
- Cook pasta al dente according to package directions and set aside.
- In a large skillet add butter and melt over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about one minute.
- Add zucchini, asparagus, peppers and cook 1 minute more. Add broth, bring to a simmer and let cook 2-3 minutes or until vegetables are tender-crisp.
- Stir in heavy cream, peas and tomatoes and simmer an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Make a slurry by combining cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of broth or water. Whisk the cornstarch into the pan until the sauce thickens.
- Stir in parmesan and pasta. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner, Entree, Main Course, Pasta
Cuisine American, Italian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
In Italian, “primavera” means spring. Literally, it means the first “prima” green “vera.” Throw a little pasta in the mix and you’ve got a perfect spring veggie dish. Although it may sound fancy, this dish was actually created in the USA in the 1970s (foodtimeline).
This was amazing. Topped it with grilled chicken. My 5 year old said “put this in the recipe book” lol
Could I freeze this and thaw and heat up later? I would add more liquid so it wouldn’t be dry when reheating. I am looking for recipes to prepare for my daughter after she delivers her baby. BTW, I love your recipes.
Hi Christina, for this one I am not sure how the sauce would hold up if frozen. Creamy sauces tend to reheat a funny texture after frozen.
Can this be made a day ahead and refrigerated?
If making ahead of time I would make the sauce but prepare the pasta the day of and combine before serving. You could also try cooking the pasta al dente, combining everything, and then reheating before serving
Ahhhhhmazing
Yay! So happy you loved it.
I’ve made this before and it was delicious. This time I added a pinch of nutmeg and crushed red chili flakes. Ground fresh black pepper and fresh chopped parsley on top.
This is REALLY good!! Easy, goes together fast after a little prep. Worth every minute of prep time. Husband liked it a lot and he’s super finicky and not a veggie lover, but he ate every morsel. I added some tail off cooked shrimp last minute to heat through. Five stars for this gem!!!
We just loved this recipe! I enjoy following your ideas and other recipes. Was easy and customizable according to the inventory of my fridge. Thanks Holly, hubby says it’s a keeper! ☺️
I am so happy to hear this recipe was a hit Cathi!
This was so delicious I took pictures (not as nice as your photo) and put it on my Facebook and had a few friends ask for the recipe. Thank you Holly for another great recipe!
This made my day! I am so happy to hear this pasta recipe was a hit Dawnna!
SO good even my 5 year old had seconds, vegetables and all! I used bowtie pasta and added leftover roasted chicken. I had to swap the cream for milk and it was still very creamy. Definitely making this again soon. Thanks for the recipe!
I am so happy to hear this recipe was a hit Jaclyn!
The intro says that cheese filled tortellini is used but the recipe makes no mention of tortellini.
Sorry for the confusion Chris. We use a medium pasta such as mafaldine, but for a heartier dish you could use cheese filled tortellini!
thanks for the explanation
This Creamy Pasta Primavera recipes Is delicious and creativity, I enjoyed making it so much.
So glad you loved this recipe Laurie!
This looks so good but wow, so high in carbs!
You can swap the pasta for roasted cauliflower if you prefer Carolyn! Enjoy!
Quick delicious looks beautiful so yummy will make this one a lot. Thx for a great recipe
I am so happy to hear you loved this recipe Shirley!
Made this today for lunch!we loved it! The sauce is awesome! Be sure to “string” those snow peas! I forgot! Great recipe!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Arlene!
Beautiful Recipe,
I hoped to see what type of pasta you used in this recipe. Is it mafaldine?
Hi Brianna, yes this is mafaldine pasta! Enjoy!
Made this for supper tonight and it was a hit with everyone!
So happy this recipe worked so well for you, Samantha!
I made this tonight and it was a HIT!!! So so delicious! I modified it a little bit by adding more Parmesan cheese to thicken the sauce a bit more and we also added grilled chicken. Definitely will make it again!!!
That sounds delicious Kristen!