Creamy pasta primavera is a colorful, one-skillet meal with tender-crisp spring vegetables in a rich Parmesan cream sauce. It’s an easy way to use up fresh veggies with minimal cleanup.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- What is Pasta Primavera: Pasta primavera is pasta tossed with tender-crisp spring vegetables like asparagus, peas, zucchini, and peppers in a light, flavorful sauce, often finished with Parmesan.
- Flavor: Rich and creamy with a buttery garlic base, sweet spring veggies, and a nutty Parmesan finish.
- Why Make It: Fast, flexible, and veggie-packed, with a one-skillet sauce that keeps cleanup easy. Add chicken, shrimp, or chickpeas if you want extra protein.
- Serving Suggestions: Serve with a crisp salad or a Greek cucumber salad. Add in some French bread or crusty bread to soak up the sauce.
Primavera Veggie Lineup
- Pasta: Choose a pasta shape that holds sauce well, like penne, rotini, or farfalle, and feel free to use whole wheat or gluten-free. I used Mafalda pasta in this recipe; just be sure to cook it al dente.
- Asparagus: Choose medium spears for the best texture. Snap off woody ends and cut evenly for quick cooking.
- Peppers: Red, yellow, and orange peppers are sweeter than green.
- Peas and Snow Peas: Trim the strings from snow peas before cooking, or swap them with sugar snap peas or thinly sliced green beans. Frozen petite peas work great and do not need thawing.
- Zucchini: Slice a bit thicker so it stays tender-crisp.
- Tomatoes: Add near the end so they stay juicy and bright.
- 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.
One-Skillet Primavera Flow
- Cook pasta al dente and set aside (full recipe below).
- Sauté vegetables with a bit of garlic and butter.
- Add broth, simmer until tender-crisp, then stir in cream, peas, and tomatoes.
- Whisk in a slurry to thicken, toss with Parmesan and pasta, and season. Serve immediately.
Leftovers That Reheat Well
Keep leftover pasta primavera in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat with a splash of milk, stirring until creamy.
Light and Fresh Sides for Pasta Night
Did you make this Pasta Primavera? Leave a comment and rating below.
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
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup petite peas
- ½ cup snow peas
- ⅔ cup grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
- 1½ 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 to 3 minutes or until vegetables are tender-crisp.
- Stir in heavy cream, peas and tomatoes and simmer an additional 2 to 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.
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!