Vegetable Pasta Primavera with Cream Sauce
Pasta primavera recipe is one of the best Italian pasta dinner recipes you can make at home, full of a rainbow of colorful fresh vegetables in a creamy Parmesan sauce. Make pasta primavera any season of the year using vegetables you're craving.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces fettuccine pasta or spaghetti, penne or other pasta shape
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot or yellow onion
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic 1-2 cloves
- 1 carrot peeled and sliced into matchsticks
- 2 cups broccoli florets 4 ounces
- ½ pound fresh asparagus spears sliced into 2-inch pieces
- 1 cup sliced bell pepper red, orange or a mixture
- 1½ cups heavy whipping cream
- Kosher salt
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- 1 cup peas fresh or frozen
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves or chopped parsley
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water generously (about 1 tablespoon kosher salt per quart of water), and add the pasta. Cook until al dente according to package directions. Drain and keep warm.
- Put the butter and olive oil in a large (12-inch) skillet and place over medium heat. When the butter melts, stir in the shallot and garlic. Cook until aromatic, about 1 minute.
- Add the carrots to the pan. Cook 3-4 minutes, until the carrots turn bright orange.
- Stir in the broccoli and asparagus. Cover the pan and let them steam 4-5 minutes, until they are bright green. Remove the lid.
- Add the peppers to the skillet, stirring and cooking 1-2 minutes. Pour in the cream and season with 1 teaspoon salt. Turn up the heat to medium-high and bring the cream to a boil. Cook the sauce about 5 minutes, until it looks thickened.
- Stir the tomatoes, peas, and ½ cup cheese into the sauce and remove from the heat. Add the pasta and gently stir to coat the strands with the sauce.
- Transfer to a serving bowl (or serve straight from the pan). Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup cheese and the basil leaves over the pasta and serve right away.
Video
Notes
- This dish comes together in minutes, but the key is to have your vegetables prepped before you start cooking.
- Mix and match a variety of colorful vegetables (you'll want about 6 cups total). Try green beans (cut into 2-inch pieces), sliced zucchini, snap peas or snow peas, yellow squash, yellow or orange tomatoes. Saute sturdier vegetables, such as green beans, before adding in the more tender ones.
- For the pasta, you can try any type of long pasta such as fettuccine, tagliatelle, or spaghetti, or a short pasta shape like penne, shells or farfalle (bowtie pasta). Your favorite gluten-free pasta will also work.
- Optional: Grate some fresh lemon zest over the finished dish, if you like.
- If you have leftovers, refrigerate in storage container up to 3 days. Keep in mind that the pasta will absorb the cream as it cools. Leftover pasta primavera won't be as saucy, but will still taste great!
Nutrition
Calories: 506kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 14gFat: 42gSodium: 403mgFiber: 6gSugar: 11g
