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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 minced garlic
- 1 cup sliced zucchini
- ½ cup chopped asparagus trimmed and cut into thirds
- ½ cup diced bell pepper red, yellow or orange
- ⅔ cup grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup petite peas
- ½ cup snow peas
Sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
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).
So good! I doubled the veggies and doubled the sauce. My husband and I loved it!
made this for dinner tonight, got rave reviews. definitely a keeper
Loved this…I added a diced onion and omitted the zucchini (just not a fan)…I also used 1/2 and 1/2 instead of the heavy cream.
Will be adding to my make often list!
Very versatile (can change up the veggies) and comes together quickly! Delicious!
GREAT. Changed up the veggies a bit. really easy. Used the same pot, first for the noodle,dumped,then the veggies and added back the noodles. Recommend the Campanella. Thicker noodles hold up to the mixing.
This recipe was delicious! What kind of pasta did you use?
I love using Campanelle pasta for this recipe. I love how it looks and holds onto the creamy sauce! But any medium pasta will work.
Cette recette est un délice pur. Très crémeuse ! Miam miam!
Cette recette de pâte Primavera est un pur délice. J’ai adoré et la ferai à nouveau assurément! Merci !
Merci Lyne! Je suis tellement heureuse que vous ayez apprécié.
This recipe was delicious! Next time I’ll add the tomatoes with the pasta. They blew up while simmering.
Love this! So fresh with all the crisp veggies and the cream sauce is just enough without being heavy. I put it alongside some lemon chicken and it was delicious!
I made this adding some chicken that was marinaded in lemon oil and juice. I switched out a couple of veggies too. This was fantastic and so easy to make. Be sure to save some pasta water in case the sauce needs it.
Delicious! Switched out a few of the veg with more of the others based on what I had at the house. Added leftover rotisserie chicken for protien and some salt/pepper, italian seasoning crushed red pepper for extra flavor. Will definitely make this again!!
Yay, so happy you loved it Teresa!