Fresh spring veggies fill the pasta dish pasta primavera, which is flavorful and light.
For a quick lunch during the week or a light dinner on a warm summer night, just add a simple parmesan cream sauce!
What is Primavera Pasta?
The 1970s saw the creation of this dish in the United States, even though it may sound elegant.
Primavera, which means spring in Italian. The first “prima” green “vera,” literally. The ideal spring vegetable dish is created by adding a bit of pasta to the mixture.
This dish is light and refreshing enough for the heat of summer but rich and nourishing enough for a chilly winter day.
Ingredients
A ton of vegetables, parmesan, and spice-infused creamy sauce.
Veggies: While peas and asparagus are frequently used in primavera recipes, you are welcome to substitute different vegetables from your garden or the market. Fresh tomatoes, broccoli, summer squash, or even spring onions.
PASTA: Use whichever spaghetti you have on hand; either medium or long pasta will work in this recipe. As the pasta will continue to cook after being combined with the sauce, cook it until it is just al dente.
The sauce ties everything together. The cream is cooked with chicken broth (or veggie broth, if you want) until the mixture is thickened. To give the sauce a little zing, little parmesan cheese is added.
Making Primavera Pasta
- Sauté the vegetables in butter and garlic, then add the cream and chicken stock, and simmer for a few minutes (per the recipe below).
- To thicken the sauce, combine cornstarch with a little water or broth.
- Pasta and parmesan are combined. Serve right away.
This primavera pasta tastes great, but it needs a little protein to balance it out (faves are grilled chicken or shrimp). Alternatively, simply add the frozen shrimp to the skillet! It quickly cooks.
Advice for the Ideal Primavera
- Don’t overcook the vegetables; you want them to be slightly crunchy and delicate.
- Because it will continue to cook in the sauce, cook the pasta until it is al dente (and do not rinse the pasta).
- Keep a small amount of pasta water after draining. To improve the sauce’s adhesion to the pasta and change the consistency as desired, add this.
- Due to the starch that cooks out of the pasta, saving a half cup of pasta water is a fantastic way to thicken a sauce. Alternatively, save any remaining pasta water in ice cube trays and use it as required to thicken sauces, salads, and soups.
- To ensure even cooking, always cut your vegetables into the same size pieces. Lacking time? Pasta Primavera can utilize frozen vegetables; they do not need to be thawed before being added to the pan.
Similar to most skillet dishes, this recipe goes well with a Greek cucumber salad, a fresh salad, or even a tossed salad. Add some crusty bread or French bread to the bowl to mop up any sauce.
Primavera pasta
Spring vegetables and a creamy parmesan sauce are the stars of this delectable pasta primavera dish. It is prepared in a single skillet for simple cleanup!
20 minutes preparation
20 minutes for cooking forty minutes in total portions: 4 portions |
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
- ½ cup parmesan cheese shredded
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Pasta should be prepared al dente per the instructions on the package.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and simmer for approximately a minute, or until fragrant.
- Add the peppers, zucchini, and asparagus, and sauté for another minute. Then, add the broth, bring to a simmer, and cook the vegetables for 2-3 minutes, or until they are crisp-tender.
- Add heavy cream, peas, and tomatoes; cook for a further 2–3 minutes.
- Combine cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of broth or water to create a slurry. As the sauce thickens, whisk the cornstarch into the pan.
- Pasta and parmesan are combined. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve right away.
Nutrition information
Calories: 695 | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 113mg | Sodium: 523mg | Potassium: 521mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2280IU | Vitamin C: 50mg | Calcium: 232mg | Iron: 2mg