Pasta primavera is a delicious entrée loaded with fresh seasonal vegetables that are tossed with noodles and finished off with fresh herbs and cheese.

 

Pasta Primavera

I’m not sure there is a better recipe to get your family to eat vegetables then this. It’s incredibly simple to make for a quick weeknight meal and elegant enough to serve up to guests if you desire.

Pasta primavera is a simple pasta dish consisting of fresh seasonal vegetables that are sautéed and tossed with pasta and fresh herbs. Every single recipe looks different depending on what produce is available.

 

Why Is It Called Pasta Primavera

The word “primavera” translates from Italian to English as Spring. As I stated before seasonal cooking is the only way they do it in Italy and during springtime, what over those fresh vegetables were, is what’s in the pasta.

 

Ingredients and Substitutions

There are quite a few possibilities for this pasta, and here are some that you should consider adding to your pasta primavera:

• Asparagus
• Zucchini
• Yellow Squash
• Tomatoes
• Mushrooms
• Carrots
• Onions
• Garlic
• Spinach
• Fava Beans
• Lima Beans
• Peas
• Bell Peppers
• Broccoli
• Beans

 

How to Make It

This is all about timing because some of the vegetables are firmer than the others require longer cooking times. Follow these quick procedures:

Cook the onions in olive oil over low heat until they are lightly browned and tender, about 6-8 minutes.

 

Add in the carrots and mushrooms and cook for a further 4-5 minutes.

 

Scoot the vegetables to one side of the pan and cook the garlic on the other side of the pan until lightly browned.

 

Add in the remaining vegetables and season with salt and pepper.

 

Toss with cooked pasta and serve.

 

Is There a Sauce

There is no specific sauce for this recipe however this leaves it open to interpretation. I simply use some of the starchy pasta water to loosen up the pasta. You can use things like a Pomodoro Sauce and toss with the vegetables and pasta, or even a bechamel.

 

What Pasta Should I Use

Since I always seem to have leftover pasta, I always use that to get rid of it. However, you can use whatever noodle you like. Here are a few suggestions:

• Fusilli
• Farfalle
• Penne
• Orecchiette

 

Pasta Primavera Variations

Chicken Primavera – You can absolutely add chicken breasts or even some cut-up rotisserie chicken meat for protein to the pasta at the end when tossing the noodles with the vegetables.

Creamy Pasta Primavera – If you wish to make a creamy pasta primavera, simply start by making a classic alfredo sauce consisting of butter and parmesan cheese and toss with your cooked vegetables and noodles.

 

Make-Ahead and Storage

How to Reheat: Add your desired amount of pasta to a frying pan with a ½ cup of warm water and cook the pasta over low heat while moving the pasta around with a spoon until hot.

Make-Ahead: It is always best to make and serve this pasta immediately.

How to Store: Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

 

Chef Notes + Tips

Be sure to season the hot boiling water for the pasta with salt. A rule of thumb is that it should taste like the ocean.

You can substitute out the hot starchy pasta water with hot vegetable stock or chicken stock.

They say once you smell garlic while cooking, it’s done.