Why I love this pasta dish:
- 30 Minute Meal—Less than a half hour and it’s on the table, ready to enjoy. Whipping up a homemade meal doesn’t have to be time consuming or complicated, and it always beats anything from a drive-thru.
- All the Veg—Use your favorite veggies or what you have on hand. I love to add broccolini, bell pepper, snap peas, and cherry tomatoes.
- The Sauce—The sauce is simple and creamy, but not heavy tasting at all. For an even lighter version you can leave the sauce off and toss the pasta and veggies in olive oil, melted butter, fresh parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.
How to Make Pasta Primavera
Cook Pasta until al dente and set aside.
Sauté Veggies in oil with fresh garlic. Cook just until slightly tender.
Make Pasta Primavera Sauce: Add butter, chicken broth, and cream to a pan. Bring to a simmer then stir in cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
Toss: Add cooked pasta and veggies to the pan, toss, and top with fresh basil.
Recipe Variations
- Add Protein: Feel free to toss in cooked chicken, tofu, or sautéed shrimp.
- Add Veggies: Use whatever you have on hand. Zucchini, squash, and broccoli are all great additions.
- Swap the Noodles: Any type of pasta is great for creamy pasta primavera. I am partial to bite sized pasta like penne, farfalle, or small shells, but use whatever you have on hand.
Pasta Primavera
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Serves 5
- 1 pound penne pasta, (or other pasta)
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 to 4 cups chopped veggies of choice, (snap peas, broccolini, bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, onion, asparagus, peas, spinach, cherry tomatoes)
Sauce:
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 2/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, (or half and half)
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, or more, to taste
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped, for garnish
Cook Pasta according to package instructions. Set aside.
Sauté Veggies: Add olive oil to a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add veggies, season them with a little salt and pepper, and sauté for about 2-4 minutes, just until slightly tender. You don’t want to cook them too long. Remove to a plate.
Sauce: Add butter to pan. Add chicken broth and cream and bring to a simmer. Stir in cheese. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. If the sauce seems too thick, add more chicken broth, cream or water, to your liking.
Combine: Add cooked pasta and veggies to the pan then toss to combine. Top with fresh basil, if desired.
Notes
Add Protein: Feel free to toss in cooked chicken, tofu, or sautéd shrimp.
Pasta: Any type of pasta will work; I am partial to bite sized pasta like penne, fafalle, ziti, or shells.
Gluten-free Adaptations: use gluten-free penne pasta.
Nutrition
Calories: 461kcal, Carbohydrates: 71g, Protein: 16g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 23mg, Sodium: 223mg, Potassium: 283mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 242IU, Vitamin C: 0.4mg, Calcium: 136mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This article was originally published on tastesbetterfromscratch.com. Follow on Instagram.
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