“Primavera” means spring in Italian, but the Italian-sounding recipe is not from Italy at all! Pasta primavera is entirely American. Loaded with veggies in a light cream sauce, this pasta dish rose to popularity when it appeared on the menu at New York’s Le Cirque restaurant in the 1970s. It became one of the most buzzy dishes in the city at the time, and quickly trickled down to restaurants—and kitchen tables—across the country.
The name is a reference to the huge variety of veggies that define the dish, and our classic pasta primavera recipe with a lightly creamy primavera sauce celebrates the arrival of spring and summer vegetables! For more easy weeknight pasta recipes, try our Bow Tie Pasta or our Round Up of Pasta Recipes.
Pasta Primavera Ingredients
Pasta — Our favorite pasta for pasta primavera is penne, but if you prefer long, twirly pasta, bucatini, spaghetti and linguine are all excellent choices, too. You could even use Homemade Pappardelle.
Sun dried tomatoes — Deeply flavorful, sun-dried tomatoes add a ton of flavor to our primavera recipe — don’t skip them!
Cherry tomatoes — as ripe and perfect as you can find! For even more fresh tomato ideas like this recipe, check out the 30 Best Fresh Tomato Recipes.
Zucchini and Yellow squash
Shallots
Carrots
Butter
Parmesan cheese — Don’t use pre-shredded Parmesan because it usually contains anti-clumping additives that will prevent it from melting nicely into the creamy primavera sauce.
Whole milk — Don’t substitute a lower-fat milk here, you want full-fat milk so that your pasta primavera is nice and creamy.
Dried basil
Garlic powder
Salt, pepper and olive oil
How To Make Pasta Primavera
Cook the pasta of your choice — it’s penne for us! — in salted water until just al dente. We usually start testing for doneness a full 2 minutes before the shortest cooking time suggested on the package.
Next you’re going to cook the vegetables separately, so that they each cook to perfection and don’t make each other soggy or overdone. Start by sautéing the shallot and carrots in a bit of oil until they’re softened, then set them aside.
Next up (in the same skillet) cook the zucchini and squash until they’re golden brown, and then set them aside.
Now it’s time to make a creamy primavera sauce in that same skillet — yay for one-pan dinner recipes. Melt the butter and whisk in the freshly grated Parm, milk, dried basil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until the sauce is smooth and creamy.
Stir in both kinds of tomatoes, then get that pan off the heat.
Bring your pasta primavera together! Add everything back to the pan and gently toss it until every vegetable and piece of pasta is coated in the sauce.
Fill your favorite pasta bowl and dig in!
Tips For The Best Homemade Pasta Primavera
Feel free to add chicken or shrimp to your pasta primavera if you want to bulk it up a bit, or feed a crowd that requires a little more protein in their main dish.
Store leftover pasta primavera in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. The leftovers will be delicious!
Serve pasta primavera with a big Simple Italian Salad or a Tomato Salad, and maybe a hearty summery dessert like a Peach Cobbler or Berry Cobbler.
Use the freshest produce you can find for this pasta primavera recipe. If you can get the tomatoes and squash at a farmers market, nothing tops that!
More Creamy, Tomato-y Pasta Recipes
Pasta For Days
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