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    Pasta Primavera

    July 1, 2024

    Our simple pasta primavera recipe with a creamy sauce and lots of vegetables is the perfect light and easy spring or summer dinner.

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    a bowl of past primavera made with zucchini, squash, carrots, sun dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and parmesan
    Photography by Gayle McLeod

    “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, carrots, zucchini, squash, cherry tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, butter, milk, Parmesan and spices in prep bowls

    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

    sliced carrots being cooked in a skillet
    sliced zucchini being cooked in a skillet
    milk being poured into a skillet with butter Parmesan, dried basil, garlic powder, salt & pepper
    Parmesan, milk, dried basil, garlic powder, salt, pepper, sun dried tomatoes and cherry tomatoes in a skillet

    How To Make Pasta Primavera

    1. 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.

    2. 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.

    3. Next up (in the same skillet) cook the zucchini and squash until they’re golden brown, and then set them aside.

    4. 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.

    5. Stir in both kinds of tomatoes, then get that pan off the heat.

    6. 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.

    7. Fill your favorite pasta bowl and dig in!

    pasta, zucchini, squash, sun dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and sauce being tossed in a skillet
    a pan of past primavera made with zucchini, squash, carrots, sun dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and parmesan

    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!

    a bowl of past primavera made with zucchini, squash, carrots, sun dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and parmesan

    More Creamy, Tomato-y Pasta Recipes

    Pasta For Days

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    Pasta Primavera

    Updated on July 1, 2024

    • Serves:  4
    • Prep Time:  20 min
    • Cook Time:  20 min
    • Calories:  550
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    Ingredients

    • 12 ounces pasta (we like penne or bucatini)
    • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
    • 1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks
    • 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise then cut into ¾-inch-thick slices
    • 1 medium yellow squash, halved lengthwise then cut into ¾-inch-thick slices
    • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
    • ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
    • ½ cup whole milk, plus more as needed
    • 1 teaspoon dried basil
    • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon sea salt
    • ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
    • ⅓ cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
    • 1½ cups halved cherry tomatoes
    • Chopped fresh basil or flat leaf parsley, for serving (optional)
    • Crushed red pepper flakes, for serving (optional)

    Method

    1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until al dente according to package instructions. Drain.

      pasta, carrots, zucchini, squash, cherry tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, butter, milk, Parmesan and spices in prep bowls

    2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and carrots, and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the same skillet and swirl to coat the pan. Add the zucchini and squash in a single layer; cook until golden brown about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to the plate with the carrots.

      sliced zucchini being cooked in a skillet

    3. Melt the butter in the same skillet. Once the butter has melted, whisk in the Parmesan, milk, dried basil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until smooth. Stir in the sun dried tomatoes and cherry tomatoes, and cook until warmed through. Remove from heat.

      Parmesan, milk, dried basil, garlic powder, salt, pepper, sun dried tomatoes and cherry tomatoes in a skillet

    4. Add the drained pasta and cooked veggies to the skillet and toss to coat (see Note).

      pasta, zucchini, squash, sun dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and sauce being tossed in a skillet

    5. Serve topped with more Parmesan, fresh basil, and crushed red pepper flakes, if desired.

      a bowl of past primavera made with zucchini, squash, carrots, sun dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and parmesan

    Notes

    Add a splash more milk if the sauce is too thick or a sprinkle of extra parm if the sauce is too thin.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories 550
    • Protein 15 g
    • Carbohydrates 59 g
    • Total Fat 30 g
    • Dietary Fiber 7 g
    • Cholesterol 62 mg
    • sodium 1632 mg
    • Total Sugars 17 g

    Pasta Primavera

    Questions & Reviews

    Join the discussion below.

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    • Bobbie

      What abour using cream rather than whole milk? Would I need to add more or less?

      Thanks! Thinking this will be a nice change to use up some late summer zucchini!

      We haven't tested it with cream so we couldn't give you an exact amount to sub. If you try it we'd love to hear how it goes!

    • Ali

      What do you think about subbing coconut milk for whole milk in this? Looks like a great recipe!

      Full fat coconut milk would probably work just fine! Give it a try and let us know how you like it!

    • disqus_obuRZU0iiS

      if we don't like parm, can we add mozz? thank you!

      We love mozzarella, but in this case would probably make for a stringy mess. Instead, we'd suggest swapping in a cheese that has more in common with Parmesan—something aged and quite hard that you can grate into fine shavings like pecorino or manchego. You could also just leave it out! It would alter the recipe a bit—it'd be a bit less salty for sure—but it would still be delicious!

    • Hasti

      This was SO delicious! It took me 40 minutes to do washing, prep, and cooking . Amazing!

      Thanks Hasti, we are so glad you loved it!

    • Matt

      heck yeah! Another Modern Proper hit! This is very fresh and excellent for summer. I added asparagus pieces for a nice welcome snap and crunch! Sauté them with the zucchini. And the kid-friendly label is true, my two young ones ate it right up.

      YAY! Thanks Matt, we are so glad it was a hit!

    • Brenda

      This was amazing, I made a few small additions. I had asparagus on hand so it cut into 1 1/2” pieces, crush three cloves of garlic and cooked both with shallots and carrots. I also used penne pasta.

      Thanks Brenda, we are so glad you loved it!

    • Antoinette

      This turned out SOOOO good!!! I used cashew milk instead of whole milk and it was absolutely amazing. My kids gobbled every bit of it up. Winner for me 👍🏾

      AMAZING! So happy to hear that Antoinette! We love win a recipe wins over the kids!

    • Jessica

      This was absolutely delicious!!! Came out wonderful - perfect for summer!