Pasta Primavera

Course: Italian

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 40

Servings: people

Calories: 568kcal

Author: Kris Longwell

This is a classic dish. You just can't get much better than Pasta Primavera. Brimming with fresh vegetables, and just enough cream and cheese to make it light, but still luxurious. Amazing!

Print Recipe

Equipment

Large saucepan, small saucepan, pot for cooking pasta

Ingredients

1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup asparagus tips (save the stalks for another use)
1 lb pasta dried, such as fusilli or rigatoni
7 tablespoon olive oil divided
5 cloves garlic minced, divided
8 oz. mushrooms quartered
1 small zucchini quartered lengthwise, cut into 1-inch pieces
½ cup sweet peas frozen
1 cup heavy cream
⅔ cup Parmesan cheese grated, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1½ teaspoon Kosher salt
¾ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
1 cup grape tomatoes or cherry, halved
2 tablespoon basil fresh, chopped
½ cup pine nuts toasted

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli and asparagus and cook for 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Add the pasta and cook until al dente (according to package instructions). Drain, saving 1 cup of pasta water. Toss the pasta with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Set aside.
In a large saucepan, heat 5 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add about ⅔ of the garlic (2 minced cloves) and cook until just starting to turn golden, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft and just starting to release liquid, about another 3 to 5 minutes.
Drain the broccoli and asparagus and add to the saucepan with the mushrooms. Add in the zucchini and peas and cook until soft, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Carefully stir in the cooked pasta, cream, Parmesan cheese, butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Stir to fully incorporate. Taste and add another ½ teaspoon of salt, if desired. If you feel it needs it, add a little of the pasta water to loosen the sauce even more.
Meanwhile, heat a medium-small saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add the remaining garlic (about 3 minced cloves), tomatoes, basil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Saute until tomatoes are wilting and just starting to break down.
Pour the tomato mixture over the top of the pasta and garnish with toasted pine nuts. Serve at once.

Video

Notes

We love going with a smaller pasta for this dish, such as fusilli, penne, or rigatoni. However, a long pasta such as spaghetti, linguini, or fettucini, are all great choices, too.

You can also blanch the zucchini along with the broccoli and asparagus, but we find that sometimes makes the zucchini too soft for our liking. It doesn't take much time in the skillet for it to become tender. The frozen peas cook just long enough to become the perfect texture and temperature.

Half-and-half can be substituted for the cream, and the butter can be omitted for an even lighter dish. We think the cream, cheese, and butter, add just enough sauce that the dish still feels light, but deeply flavorful.

Adding pasta water to the dish is not necessary, but if it feels a little 'tight', then add a little water, to your liking.

This dish is so good, it's even delicious room temperature, but we feel it's at its very best right off the stove.

The dish will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. It can be frozen for up to 1 month, however, it will lose the brightness the longer it sits in the fridge or freezer.

Nutrition