Pasta primavera is a fresh, bright and lemony, veggie-packed pasta dish. This pasta primavera recipe is versatile and is ready in under 30 minutes making it an easy and healthy weeknight meal.
Extra parmesan cheese and toasted pine nuts for serving.
Instructions
Cook pasta in salted water, reserve ½ cup pasta water for later.
Cook onion, carrot, garlic and olive oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until tender (about 3-4 minutes)
Add the broccoli, red pepper and zucchini and cook until tender (about 3-4 minutes)
Add tomatoes, corn, peas, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and butter. Cook until butter is melted.
Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice in a small bowl.
Drain cooked pasta, reserving ½ cup of the cooking liquid.
Add pasta to the cooked vegetables, stir to combine.
Add lemon/olive oil mixture, parmesan cheese, and fresh basil and stir until combined.
Cook until the sauce thickens and coats the veggies and pasta, about 3-5 minutes.
If necessary, add up to ½ cup of the pasta water to the mixture to moisten. (May not be necessary),
Serve warm with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and toasted pine nuts.
Video
Notes
Pasta Primavera Ingredients & Substitutions
Penne Pasta. Choose your favorite pasta variety if you don't have penne on hand. I give a list below of possible suggestions.
Olive oil. The flavor of a high-quality olive oil will really shine in this recipe. Another neutral oil like avocado oil or canola oil can also be used.
Red onion. Any onion variety works well: yellow, sweet, etc.
Vegetables. This pasta primavera recipe calls for 5 cups of vegetables. You can substitute your favorites for any of those listed in the recipe.
Grape tomatoes. Choose a sweet variety for the best flavor.
Minced Garlic. Also great in this recipe would be fresh roasted garlic, or a small amount of garlic powder if you have pickier eaters.
Salted Butter. Unsalted butter works well in this recipe.
Lemon Juice/zest. You can use bottled lemon juice or freshly squeezed. You will need the juice of 3-4 fresh lemons to equal ½ cup.
Grated Parmesan cheese. Go for high-quality parmesan for the best results. It can be grated or shredded.
Fresh basil. I've made this primavera pasta without it in the winter months, but always prefer when it is included.
Which pasta should I use to make pasta primavera?
You can use almost any pasta variety to make this pasta primavera recipe. Here are some suggestions:
Shaped pasta (my preference): I prefer using shaped pasta because it soaks in the lemon sauce in every nook and cranny and tastes amazing. some suggestions other than penne are: bow ties (aka Farfalle) , rigatoni, fusilli, wheels (rotelle), etc.
Spaghetti noodles: bucatini is my favorite. But angel hair, tagiatelle, linguine, etc.