This pasta primavera is a celebration of Spring and comfort food heaven! Sweet roast veggies are tossed with a fragrant mixture of garlic, basil, and sun-dried tomatoes. All mixed with cooked pasta and parmesan cheese for an instant pasta sauce. A gorgeous vibrant and perfect side or vegetarian main dish that’s loaded with flavor, color, and veggie goodness!
Without a doubt, this pasta primavera was the TOP requested recipe at the cooking school when I was teaching. Imagine a feel-good spring pasta with seasonal vegetables, al dente pasta and a light, flavor forward sauce.
Some prefer a bright olive oil and lemon dressing, a silky crème fraîche finish, or a light buttery emulsion. Either way the dish is defined by the freshness of its produce and a technique that keeps vegetables lively.
We have some other Lucious MUST TRY Burrata Pasta and Pesto Pasta with Pistachio Pesto are a favorite for ease, taste and convenience!
Spaghetti aglio e olio ( Olive oil Pasta) could be one of life’s simplest pleasures! I can’t tell you how often I make this and how often I get recipe requests for it.
If you’re in any way connecting with what I’m saying, this recipe is one you can’t miss! Pasta primavera is a dreamy pasta recipe– I promise you this recipe will be your go to Springtime summer pasta!
What is Pasta Primavera?
This pasta primavera is very much an Italian classic, primavera means Spring in Italian. So it’s pasta loaded with vibrant beautiful Spring veggies and colors. Even though we’re well into Summer, the gorgeous colors and flavors of this pasta fit right in.
And while I used as many Spring veggies here as I could, this recipe is great with as little or as many as your heart desires. So don’t be discouraged if you feel you don’t have enough veggies, because the sauce will make any veggie shine.
Pasta primavera (literally “spring pasta”) is an American version that showcases spring vegetables—think asparagus, peas, sugar snap peas, baby zucchini, young carrots, and cherry tomatoes—tossed with pasta and a simple sauce (olive oil/lemon, a touch of cream, or a cheese/butter finish).
Although its origin story is American (became popular in the 1970s), the idea is timeless: maximize seasonal produce while keeping flavor!
Why You’ll Love This Pasta Primavera
- Seasonal & vibrant recipe with a taste of Spring!
- Versatile recipe to serve as a light main or a side dish.
- Fast & easy!
- Healthful comfort food! This is a feel good pasta recipe that doesn’t miss on comfort feel!
Pasta Primavera Ingredients
- Carrots, Zucchini and Yellow Squash. Use all or one of those
- Red Bell Pepper. This particular bell pepper is a little more mild and has a different flavor from green or red. If you need to substitute, I would pick orange or red.
- Yellow or Red Onion. A nice basic onion perfect to complement roasted veggies.
- Cremini Mushrooms. Also known as button mushrooms or sometimes white mushrooms if they are picked young, this variety has plenty of flavor and is easy to find in the store.
- Asparagus. Young asparagus is always best, but for this recipe it is cut into matchsticks anyway so whatever you can find will work.
- Fresh or Canned Corn Kernels. I like to find sweet corn on the cob for recipes like this and just cut it right off the cob for the dish.
- Broccoli Florets. It’s so handy to grab a bag of washed and ready brocod at all times!
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes. These come in a jar and may be near the olives, the canned tomatoes, or the pasta sauce.
- Fresh Basil Leaves. Buy your basil with the roots on and keep the roots moist until you are ready to harvest the basil. It’s so beautiful fresh! It’s also fairly easy to grow in a pot indoors or out. Use parsley and fresh orgeano if you have as well.
- Garlic Clove.
- Lemon. For zest and brightness, use lemon juice with lemon zest.
- Baby Spinach Leaves or Kale. One of these is added after everything is cooked and tossed together so they don’t wilt as much.
- Pasta Water. Reserve some of the water when you drain your pasta. This starchy water forms the base of your sauce.
- Low Fat Cream Cheese. Add this for the perfect creaminess. You can use heavy cream.
- Grated Parmesan Cheese. Adds salt, flavor and cheesiness.
- Salt and Pepper. For seasoning, to taste.
- Dried Oregano. Seasoning. Make sure you use or discard dried spices within six months of purchase and replace.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil. For flavor and a little fat, a high quality EVOO does make a difference.
- Box of Pasta. Pick your favorite brand and shape!
- Salt. For cooking the pasta.
How to Make Primavera Pasta
First, Prepare the veggies.
- I love to roast my veggies for my pasta primavera, but they could be blanched, boiled, sautéed or each veggie can be cooked separately and different from the other.
- I prefer slicing them all and tossing them with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and dried oregano and simply roasting them till tender sweet veggie perfection.
- The spinach is the only veggie I love using fresh without cooking because it wilts and softens the moment it’s tossed with the roast veggies and pasta. If you have a thing for kale, try it instead of spinach or a combo of both—I often do that.
Pasta Primavera Sauce
- Now the secret that brightens up the flavors in this pasta Primavera is the sauce. And the beauty of this sauce, not only that it’s refreshingly yummy, is that it’s a no-cook sauce!
- No cook sauces are my favorites! This Sun Dried Tomato Pesto is one of them which I love over a Burrata Pasta. Another favorite is this Pesto Pasta with Pistachio Pesto.
- It’s a combination of fresh vibrant ingredients like garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh basil. They are tossed with the roast veggies, so the heat from those veggies brings up the wonderful flavors and aromas of these ingredients.
- And together they create a luscious sauce with a bit of the pasta water and Parmesan cheese.
- So when you strain your pasta, make sure to save some of that starchy pasta water aside. And together with a bit of cheese and aromatics (like the garlic, sun-dried tomato, spinach and basil in this case), this pasta water creates a luscious sauce that feels rich and creamy sauce while in fact, it’s light as air.
- I admit I do cheat a little and add a couple of tablespoons of cream cheese to give an extra creamy feel, but it’s totally optional. You can use chicken broth if you don’t want a creamy sauce.
- Now if a creamy sauce is what you’re looking for, then substitute part of the pasta water with cream or the entire amount like in this Burrata Pasta.
- Once the veggies are roasted, you’ll add them to the large bowl of sauce and toss well.
Variations on Pasta Primavera Recipe
The beauty of a primavera is that you can add and subtract ingredients on a whim and still have a lovely dish. This pasta is equally delicious with a huge variety of roasted vegetables. It’s also easy to add meat and change things up.
Chicken Pasta Primavera
To add chicken, dice up the meat and add it to the roasting pan with the veggies. You can cook the meat and veggies all at once. Alternatively, you can sauté the chicken in a skillet if you prefer. Use this Air Fryer Chicken Breast recipe or Pan Seared Chicken Breast without the sauce to use here.
You can also make it using rotisserie chicken for the ultimate shortcut!
Shrimp Pasta Primavera
To add shrimp, you will want to season and sauté the shrimp in a skillet on the stovetop for best results. You can bake shrimp, but browning it in a skillet adds so much flavor. Use the same recipe as I do in this Shrimp Pasta.
Vegan Pasta Primavera
Keeping this recipe vegan is super easy. If you want to add a little protein, you can add bacon tempeh, marinated tofu, or even toss the veggies with lentils instead of pasta.
Grilled Vegetable Primavera
Char vegetables on the grill for smoky complexity.
Creamy Primavera
Add a small splash of crème fraîche or cream for a silkier sauce.
Tips for Primavera Pasta
- The roasting time for vegetables is based somewhat on personal preference. If you prefer your veggies a little more on the crunchy side, reduce the cook time.
- The type and variety of veggies are completely personal and to your taste!
- Cut veggies uniformly and group by cook time. This prevents overcooking tender asparagus while waiting for thicker carrots to soften.
- Make sure you slice them thinly so they don’t take too long to cook in the oven.
- Flavor the veggies with some dried spice and quality olive to add an extra layer of taste to your pasta dish.
- The no cook sauce is AMAZING and just requires pasta water–so save some while pasta is cooking.
- Ingredients like spinach, sun dried tomato and Basil Pesto or fresh basil don’t need to cook. You can add other fresh herbs.
- Toss and adjust the consistency to your taste–adding extra pasta water for a saucier pasta or less for a drier one.
- Parmesan cheese thickens the sauce as well and adds flavor. You can use vegan parm is you’re making this a vegan dish.
- If you’ve never tried al dente pasta before, now is the time. Al dente means “to the tooth” and is the Italian way of saying pasta that is still ever-so-slightly firm and toothy when you bite into it. Many times the box of pasta will tell you exactly how long to boil the pasta for perfect results. Al dente the best way to enjoy pasta in any form. Plus, it ensures that when you reheat leftovers your pasta doesn’t become overcooked in the process.
- Leftovers store well in the fridge for a week or freeze the cooked and finished primavera pasta recipe for a busy day.
- Salt the pasta water well. Properly seasoned water is the foundation of the dish.
- Reserve pasta water and use it to bind sauces—starchy water is a natural emulsifier.
- Make it ahead:Roast or blanch the veggies and set aside. Make sauce ahead, and toss with pasta just before serving. Rewarm gently to avoid soggy veggies.
How to Serve Pasta Primavera
This delicious flavorful pasta is beautiful by itself for a light Spring or Summer meal. You can also add a slice of crusty French bread or garlic bread or pair it with a cold soup.
What is primavera sauce made of?
Pasta primavera sauce is a blend of no cook ingredients, Pasta water, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese and seasoning are the base of the sauce. Flavorings such as basil or Basil Pesto along with sun dried tomatoes add an extra level of taste.
What is Italian Primavera?
What vegetables are best in pasta primavera?
Spring vegetables are ideal: asparagus, peas or sugar snap peas, young zucchini, cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, tender broccoli or broccolini, and fresh herbs. Choose vegetables that are in season and cut them to similar sizes so they cook evenly.
Should I blanch vegetables for pasta primavera?
We are avid fans of roasting or grilling compared to blanching. If you prefer to blanch then do so for 1–2 minutes and shock the veggies in ice water to lock color and texture.
What sauce goes best with pasta primavera?
Use our no cook pesto dream sauce! A simple olive oil + lemon is classic and highlights veggies. Also a light crème fraîche or small splash of cream gives silkiness if you prefer a richer mouthfeel. A beurre blanc style butter emulsion is a restaurant style finish.
How do I keep the vegetables crisp in pasta primavera?
Cut uniformly, watch cooking times and add them back to the pasta at the end. Avoid simmering vegetables in the sauce.
What kind of pasta is best for primavera?
Both long pastas (linguine, spaghetti) and short shapes (penne, fusilli) work—choose shapes that hold sauce and veggies.
Easy Pasta Recipes
- Spaghetti aglio e olio & Olive oil Pasta
- Pesto Pasta with Pistachio Pesto
- Shrimp Pasta
- Burrata Pasta
- Clam Pasta
- Cajun Pasta
- Sardine Pasta
- Lobster Pasta
- Mac And Cheese Recipe
Pasta Primavera
This pasta primavera recipe is pure pasta and veggie bliss. Sweet roast veggies are tossed with a fragrant mixture of garlic, basil and sun dried tomatoes, and then tossed with cooked pasta and parmesan cheese for an instant pasta sauce. A gorgeous vibrant and perfect side or vegetarian main dish that’s loaded with flavor, color and veggie goodness!
Ingredients
- 1 extra large carrot or 2 medium ones , cut up into thin matchsticks
- 1 yellow sweet bell pepper , thinly sliced into match sticks
- 1 large yellow onion , slices thin
- 1 cup of sliced cremini mushrooms
- 1 cup asparagus thinly sliced into matchsticks
- 1 cup of fresh or canned corn kernels
- 1 cup of broccoli florets
- 1 ⁄2 cup sun dried tomatoes sliced
- 1 ⁄4 cup fresh basil leaves sliced
- 1 small clove of garlic minced finely
- 1 cup of baby spinach leaves or kale
- 1/2 cup of pasta water (more or less depending on how saucy you like your sauce)
- 2 tablespoons of low fat cream cheese (optional)
- 1/3 cup of grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 ⁄2 teaspoon of pepper
- 2 tablespoons of dried oregano
- 1 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 18 ounce box of your favorite type pasta
- 1 tablespoon of salt for cooking the pasta
Instructions
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Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
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Place the veggies on the baking sheet and divide the seasoning between all veggies.
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Season with the salt, pepper and oregano then drizzle with the olive oil.
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Toss the veggies with your hands to make sure all is evenly coated.
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Roast the veggies (except for the asparagus and broccoli florets) for about 18 minutes, tossing them halfway through baking.
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In the meantime, start cooking the pasta according to package instructions. Remove the baking sheet and make room for the asparagus and broccoli florets, then return it back to roast for just 3 minutes.
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When veggies are done, place them all in a large deep bowl and add to them the spinach, garlic, sun dried tomatoes, cream cheese and basil.
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When pasta is ready add it all to the bowl too and add about 1⁄4-1/2 cup of pasta water to it and toss everything together. Add the parmesan cheese and toss again.
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Serve and sprinkle with extra cheese.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Tips for Primavera Pasta
- The roasting time for vegetables is based somewhat on personal preference. If you prefer your veggies a little more on the crunchy side, reduce the cook time.
- The type and variety of veggies are completely personal and to your taste!
- Cut veggies uniformly and group by cook time. This prevents overcooking tender asparagus while waiting for thicker carrots to soften.
- Make sure you slice them thinly so they don’t take too long to cook in the oven.
- Flavor the veggies with some dried spice and quality olive to add an extra layer of taste to your pasta dish.
- The no cook sauce is AMAZING and just requires pasta water–so save some while pasta is cooking.
- Ingredients like spinach, sun dried tomato and Basil Pesto or fresh basil don’t need to cook. You can add other fresh herbs.
- Toss and adjust the consistency to your taste–adding extra pasta water for a saucier pasta or less for a drier one.
- Parmesan cheese thickens the sauce as well and adds flavor. You can use vegan parm is you’re making this a vegan dish.
- If you’ve never tried al dente pasta before, now is the time. Al dente means “to the tooth” and is the Italian way of saying pasta that is still ever-so-slightly firm and toothy when you bite into it. Many times the box of pasta will tell you exactly how long to boil the pasta for perfect results. Al dente the best way to enjoy pasta in any form. Plus, it ensures that when you reheat leftovers your pasta doesn’t become overcooked in the process.
- Leftovers store well in the fridge for a week or freeze the cooked and finished primavera pasta recipe for a busy day.
- Salt the pasta water well. Properly seasoned water is the foundation of the dish.
- Reserve pasta water and use it to bind sauces—starchy water is a natural emulsifier.
- Make it ahead:Roast or blanch the veggies and set aside. Make sauce ahead, and toss with pasta just before serving. Rewarm gently to avoid soggy veggies.
How to Serve Pasta Primavera
This delicious flavorful pasta is beautiful by itself for a light Spring or Summer meal. You can also add a slice of crusty French bread or garlic bread or pair it with a cold soup.
What is primavera sauce made of?
Pasta primavera sauce is a blend of no cook ingredients, Pasta water, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese and seasoning are the base of the sauce. Flavorings such as basil or Basil Pesto along with sun dried tomatoes add an extra level of taste.
What is Italian Primavera?
What vegetables are best in pasta primavera?
Spring vegetables are ideal: asparagus, peas or sugar snap peas, young zucchini, cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, tender broccoli or broccolini, and fresh herbs. Choose vegetables that are in season and cut them to similar sizes so they cook evenly.
Should I blanch vegetables for pasta primavera?
We are avid fans of roasting or grilling compared to blanching. If you prefer to blanch then do so for 1–2 minutes and shock the veggies in ice water to lock color and texture.
What sauce goes best with pasta primavera?
Use our no cook pesto dream sauce! A simple olive oil + lemon is classic and highlights veggies. Also a light crème fraîche or small splash of cream gives silkiness if you prefer a richer mouthfeel. A beurre blanc style butter emulsion is a restaurant style finish.
How do I keep the vegetables crisp in pasta primavera?
Cut uniformly, watch cooking times and add them back to the pasta at the end. Avoid simmering vegetables in the sauce.
What kind of pasta is best for primavera?
Both long pastas (linguine, spaghetti) and short shapes (penne, fusilli) work—choose shapes that hold sauce and veggies.
I love pasta primavera! perfect way to get some delicious veggies in your meal also!
So true Tisha!
My kind of recipe! Little pasta, lotsa veggies and easy to throw together! Can’t wait to try it!
Kathi, I’m where you are exactly!!
Primavera is perfect for our busy weeknights! Great recipe…easy, healthy, and delicious. Thanks!
Absolutely!
Any dish with roasted veggies is good with me! This looks so colourful.
Hope you try it!
This was really good, do add the cream cheese. Also added red chili flakes for some heat Even reheats well the next day.
Ok great Gail so happy you enjoyed it!! 🙂