Easy Pasta Primavera Recipe

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This easy pasta primavera recipe is a classic pasta dish for a reason. A delicious light cream sauce packed with fresh vegetables and flavoured with parmesan cheese and garlic. Although traditionally a spring and summer dish, I eat this all year round as you can interchange the vegetables. It's quick, versatile and a dish the whole family will enjoy plus a great way to get some spring vegetables on the table.

White plate with linguine in a creamy sauce with broccoli, zucchini slices, green beans and peas. Pine nuts and fresh basil on top.

Hi! I am in the Southern Hemisphere and we are feeling the warm weather slipping away. With lots of you coming into Spring, this is perfect timing for us both! This is the kind of pasta dish I make a lot. I LOVE vegetables (does that come as a shock?!) but I also love a creamy cheesy sauce so this is heaven. The way a creamy sauce clings to broccoli is one of my favourite things in life. Grab your favourite spring veggies and get to it.

This Spring pasta dish was made famous by Le Cirque restaurant in New York City. This is definitely based on that original recipe but I have added my own tweaks. This vegetarian recipe really is all about seasonal eating so feel free to swap out the vegetables for whatever you like.

For some other delicious vegetarian options, try:

Ingredients

Fresh vegetables - I have used a combination of broccoli, zucchini, peas and green beans. Asparagus isn't in season here but that would be my top choice too!

Garlic - Fresh garlic cloves are a must for any pasta sauce.

Cream - I use single or light cream. Full fat please! I find heavy cream or whipping cream slightly too thick but you can thin it down with some pasta cooking water so use what you prefer.

Parmesan cheese - Finely grated with a microplane or the star side of a box grater. Don't buy pre-grated cheese it's full of preservatives and won't melt into a sauce as well.

Lemon - I love any kind of lemony sauce. I use the juice in the sauce and the lemon zest on top. It adds the perfect fresh zingy note.

Fresh herbs - The sauce is finished with fresh basil leaves for the perfect Spring note but you could use Italian parsley or mint too.

Ingredients on a bench top. From top a ramekin of pine nuts, frozen peas, a bowl of chopped vegetables, dried linguine, fresh basil leaves, grated parmesan, a lemon, garlic cloves and a ramekin of cream.

A note on the vegetables

I used a combination of broccoli, zucchini, green beans and peas. Use those or a combination of those and any of the veges below. The only thing you need to be aware of is what is going to cook faster. In this recipe I add the broccoli and beans first as I know the zucchini won't take as long.

Other vegetable options

Bell peppers
Sliced mushrooms
Cherry tomatoes
Asparagus
Snow peas

Chopped broccoli, zucchini and green beans.

Expert tips:

Have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go. This sauce comes together pretty quick so I like to have all my ingredients neatly prepared and my bench cleared down.
Weigh your pasta portions. It's a 2 second job and ensures the perfect pasta to sauce ratio. I generally allow 100 grams of dried per person or 150 grams fresh pasta.
Use a large skillet to make the sauce that the pasta will fit into at the end.
Vegetable cooking time. You want to add the vegetables in order of cooking time. For example, zucchini doesn't take long to cook so is added last.
Undercook your pasta. I like to undercook by a minute so it can finish cooking in the sauce and still be al dente. ALWAYS reserve a cup of the pasta water before draining.

How to make this recipe

Full instructions, ingredient list and short tutorial video are in the recipe card below.

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Chopped garlic sizzling in butter in a fry pan.

ONE: Cook your pasta in a large pot of water (very well salted!) undercooking by a minute from package instructions.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and gently fry the garlic.

Cream in the saucepan with a whisk resting in.

TWO: Add the cream and black pepper and bring to a very gentle simmer. Add the parmesan cheese in a few separate lots, letting it melt into the cream in between each addition. When completely melted turn the heat down to the lowest possible while cooking the vegetables.

Chopped broccoli and green beans in a fry pan.

THREE: Heat the olive oil over a medium-high heat and saute the broccoli and beans for 3 - 4 minutes. Turn the heat down if browning too fast.

Zucchini slices added into vegetable mixture.

FOUR: Add the zucchini and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Pasta added into pan with the cream sauce being poured over the top.

FIVE: Add the cooked pasta, the cream sauce, lemon juice, ¼ cup of pasta water and toss well.

Sauce mixed through the pasta and vegetables in the pan.

SIX: Add the peas and let it all bubble away very gently for a minute or two. Toss through the basil leaves right before serving and finish with the pine nuts and lemon zest.

What pasta shape is best for this sauce?

Traditionally this is made with a long noodle shape like spaghetti, linguine or fettuccine. I have used linguine as it's one of my faves!

I don't like rules, use whatever you like. Penne pasta, rigatoni, orecchiette, anything will work.

Recipe FAQs

Can I make this recipe without cream?

The classic version of this dish is made with cream and I feel because it has a lot of veggies, it's balanced out! You could simply saute the vegetables, mix through the pasta and add some parmesan but it really won't be the same.

Can I store leftovers?

I don't think leftover pasta reheats well the next day so keep in mind it won't be the same. It will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for three days, you can always add a couple of tablespoons of water when reheating.

Could I add some meat?

Definitely! You could add some cooked chicken thighs or breast to the sauce (even a rotisserie chicken to make it easy) or cook some sausages, slice and mix through. Some flaked salmon would also be delicious. Check out my Creamy Chicken Pasta for the perfect way to pan fry some chicken breast.

Want some other pasta dishes to try?

If you loved this creamy pasta primavera then you're in the right place! I have so many amazing and easy pasta recipes for you to try. A very similar recipe is my Creamy Bacon Pasta. A very quick and delicious weeknight dinner is my 10 Minute Creamy Pesto Sauce and my Quick Zucchini Butter Pasta is another great Spring/Summer dish.

White plate with linguine in a creamy sauce with broccoli, zucchini and bacon.

White plate with pappardelle in a creamy pesto sauce. Fork is resting in with noodles twirled around it.

Made this recipe and loved it?

I would love love LOVE if you could leave me a review down below and let me know what you thought! I love to hear any changes or adaptions you have made too. Also if you put a photo on instagram, please tag me so I can see, it makes my day!

Recipe

White plate with linguine in a creamy primavera sauce. Zucchini, broccoli and beans are mixed through with peas, pine nuts and lemon zest on top.

Easy Pasta Primavera Recipe

5 from 8 votes

Author: Emilie Pullar

Prep time:15

Cook Time:15

Servings: 2 people

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Ingredients

200 grams pasta I used linguine
1 tablespoon butter
3 garlic cloves finely diced
¾ cup cream
½ teaspoon black pepper
60 grams parmesan finely grated
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups vegetables chopped, I used a combination of broccoli, green beans, zucchini and peas (see notes)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Handful fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon pine nuts toasted
Lemon zest to serve
Salt to taste

Instructions

Cook your pasta in a pot of well salted boiling water according to package instructions (I tend to do 1 min under). Reserve a mug of the pasta water before draining.
Make the cream sauce. Heat the butter on a medium heat in a saucepan and gently fry the garlic for a minute, not letting it brown.
Add the cream and bring to a gentle simmer, adjust the heat if needed, it shouldn't be aggressively bubbling at any point.
Add the parmesan in a few separate lots, letting each addition melt before adding the next. When the cheese has fully melted turn the heat down to low and leave on the stove, whisking every so often while you cook the vegetables. If your stove top is still quite warm on lowest setting take it off the heat altogether.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over a medium high heat and add the broccoli and beans. Cook for 3 - 4 minutes.
Add the zucchini and cook for a further 2 minutes or so. You don't want to cook the vegetables for too long, they need to retain some nice crunch and they will soften up in the sauce.
Turn the heat down to medium or medium-low and add the cooked pasta and the cream sauce and toss well.
Add the peas, lemon juice and ¼ cup pasta water and let it all gently bubble away to thicken for a min or two.
Season to taste, you might want to add a couple of big pinches of salt.
Toss the basil leaves through at the last minute then serve with the pine nuts and lemon zest on top.

Video

Notes

Vegetables - I used 1 x cup broccoli, 1 x cup zucchini, 1 cup green beans and ½ cup frozen peas. Use any combination you like, asparagus, bell peppers, mushrooms, anything! Just be aware of what cooks faster eg: I add the zucchini after the broccoli and beans as it cooks much faster. Check out photos above for reference of size I have chopped each one.

Peas - I use frozen peas and just let them defrost as I prepare the other ingredients and start cooking. They warm through when tossed with the sauce.

Pasta - I weigh my pasta as it is a 1 minute job and takes the guess work out. Perfect sauce to pasta ratio every time! I allow 100 grams per person dried or 150 grams per person fresh.

Author: Emilie Pullar

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 15

Course: Vegetarian

Cuisine: Italian Inspired

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