Pasta Primavera

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Pasta Primavera is a delicious dinner made with lots of vegetables, a creamy sauce, savory herbs, parmesan cheese, and of course pasta! A surprisingly light and delicious pasta dinner. So so tasty with homemade garlic bread and salad.

Pasta Primavera | An Easy Classic

Pasta Primavera is the bomb diggity and must be made. Seriously. I am in LOVE with it. Of course, I have a weird obsession with eating veggies and LOVE to pack them into my food any which way, but making fresh pasta to go along with them somehow took this meal to new heights. It’s an easy classic meal that is loved by all. Seriously, I made this for a dinner with friends and we all were seriously fighting over who would get seconds! Not even kidding.

What is Pasta Primavera?

Pasta Primavera is a simple pasta-based dish with lots of fresh vegetables, pasta and a creamy white alfredo sauce. While you might think this is an Italian dish because its pasta, believe it or not, this is an American dish from the 1970’s! There are lots of versions online and this is my version getting added to the bunch. With spring and summer right around the corner, crack out those summer veggies for a fantastic hearty and healthy dinner.

Main Ingredients Needed

Look through your fridge to see what veggies you need to use up before they go bad then make this Pasta Primavera dish for dinner! It is so versatile which makes it perfect for any day of the week. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Fettucine Pasta – this can be either homemade or store-bought. More about homemade pasta below!
• Butter, White Onion + Garlic – these three start the base of our vegetable saute!
• Zucchini, Asparagus, Bell Peppers + Carrots – the rest of the vegetables joining the pan. Use what you have for the best results.
• Flour – this thickens the sauce and soaks up any of that lingering butter from sauteing the vegetables.
• Chicken Stock or Vegetable Stock – use vegetable stock to keep this recipe vegetarian. This creates a flavorful sauce.
• Heavy Cream – to make the sauce creamy and delicious.
• Basil + Oregano – two dried herbs to create even more depth in this dish.
• Salt + Pepper – and don’t forget to salt and pepper as you go!
• Parmesan Cheese – this tops the whole dish off. Use freshly grated parmesan for the best results!

Is Homemade Pasta Worth It?

Fresh pasta is one of those things that I was hesitant to try. I mean, only people on Iron Chef would make fresh pasta right? WRONG. I got my hands on some purdy little KitchenAid Pasta attachments and went to town making my own pasta.

Verdict? Holy life changing deliciousness batman.

It takes a little more time than say….opening a box of dried pasta from the store, but there is such a huge difference between the two. Homemade pasta is fresher, cheaper, more delicious {and dare I say healthier!!} than the store-bought kind. All you need is some flour, a few eggs, a little water, and these attachments.

Anyways, I definitely think making homemade pasta is worth it, especially because you can make a bunch and freeze some for later. However, that doesn’t mean this pasta primavera recipe won’t be just as delicious with store-bought pasta either. The choice is all up to you and how much time you want to put into this recipe.

A Good Fresh Pasta Alternate

While the dried boxed fettuccine is just fine to use in this recipe, try getting the fresh pasta already made in the refrigerator section at the store. It’s a great happy medium. Buitoni makes a great fresh pasta that I use on the fly!

How to Make Pasta Primavera

For full details on how to make Pasta Primavera, see the recipe card down below 🙂

1. Sauté Veggies

In a large pot, saute onion, garlic, zucchini, asparagus, red pepper, yellow pepper, and carrots in butter over medium heat until veggies start to soften, 5-7 minutes.

2. Make the Sauce

Sprinkle with flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in chicken stock and let the mixture turn into a thick sauce. Add in spices, seasonings, and cream. Stir to incorporate and reduce heat to low to keep warm

3. Cook + Add the Pasta

In another large pot, bring water to boil and salt the water generously. Cook pasta until al dente and drain. Pour immediately into the pot of sauce, sprinkle over parmesan cheese and toss. If need be, add in a little pasta water to get the sauce to desired thickness. Serve immediately.

Variations

And if you need ideas on how to customize this dish to suite your likings then I have a couple of suggestions:

• Add Protein. If you’re looking to add some protein into this dish consider adding grilled chicken, smoked sausage, shrimp, or something like Italian Sausage. Yum!
• Use Different Veggies. Yellow squash, broccoli, red onion, cauliflower, green beans, tomatoes, or peas. The sky is the limit with pasta primavera. Like I said before, use what you have and use what you like.
• Lemon Juice. Squeeze about 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice into the sauce to brighten it up! Then garnish with lemon zest if you’re looking for more zing.

More Veggie Loaded Pasta to Try!

• Broccoli Pesto Pasta
• White Spinach & Artichoke Lasagna
• Italian Sausage Pasta with Peppers
• Garlic Chicken & Kale Spaghetti

Loved this pasta primavera recipe? Let me know about it in the comments below 🙂

The printable recipe card is below, have a good day!