This easy Vegetable Pasta Primavera Recipe is light, healthy and delicious! It is full of crunchy veggies and tender pasta. Made with a simple sauce and lots of Parmesan cheese, this 30 minute meal will quickly become a family favorite.
Love your veggies? Be sure to try this recipe for Creamy Pasta Primavera Casserole next!
Vegetable Pasta Primavera
Who says kids won't eat their veggies? That's simply not true! I have a super simple, easy weeknight meal to share with you that is perfect for the family and special enough for date night!
There are a couple reasons why I like this meal.
- Quick - 30 minute meal
- Easy - doesn't require much babysitting
- Don't have the veggies the recipe calls for? Use what you have!
Pasta Primavera - is an Italian classic and my version is light and flavorful without all the heavy cream but with all the delicious flavor!
Who can say no to that?
I have a couple other super popular pasta meals on the blog, so if you like the sound of my Pasta Primavera Recipe be sure to hop over to the blog for my Creamy Lemon Pasta - it is amazing and also a 30 minute meal!
Ok, but I don't want to get too far ahead of myself! Let me show you how easy this meal is to make!
Grocery List and Substitutions
Grocery list
- mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash, asparagus, red onion, cherry tomatoes, garlic and basil - fresh spring vegetables are the first choice, but really use what you have in your refrigerator or Frozen vegetables work great as a substitute!
- chicken stock and white wine for the light sauce. No wine? Just use addition stock. You can also use vegetable stock.
- parmesan cheese adds so much flavor, substitute with ramano or any hard grating cheese
- salt, pepper, red pepper flakes - common spices, I'm sure you have what you need!
- butter and olive oil - you can just use one or the other, but the butter adds flavor. The olive oil is great for sautéing.
- Fettuccini or your favorite pasta - any pasta will work here!
First we'll start with the veggies - these are the great summer vegetables you'll find at the Farmer's Market right now. Asparagus, zucchini, yellow squash, mushrooms and onions. Prepare them by cleaning and slicing them into bite sized pieces and set them aside.
Substitutes for this recipe
No red onions? Use yellow or white. No squash? An eggplant will work. No vegetables in the refrigerator? Grab a bag of frozen vegetables from the freezer.
What if you don't have basil? A couple scoops from a jar of pesto will totally do the trick!
Vegetable Pasta Primavera
Steps to make this recipe
So let me show you how easy this is to make!
- Put on a big pot of water on to boil for the pasta and when you're ready to drop the pasta into the water, it's time to cook the veggies and make your sauce.
- Ok - pasta is in right? So now you'll heat up a large skillet pan over medium high heat. When hot, add butter & olive oil and when it's bubbly toss in the mushrooms and onions.
- Next add the zucchini, yellow squash, asparagus and tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Cook until softened about 3 minutes.
- Then you'll make the sauce right in the pan adding garlic, chicken stock and white wine. When the pasta is done, drain it (reserve a cup of the cooking liquid) and add it right to the skillet along with Parmesan cheese and mix everything together well.
Serve it topped with torn basil leaves and a sprinkling of parmesan! Mmm... Delicious. Enjoy with crusty bread and a salad. This is an easy meal and takes less than 30 minutes to make!
Want to mix it up a bit? Add some leftover rotisserie chicken at the end or shelled, deveined shrimp - just cook them thru until they are pink and no longer opaque. Making me hungry for pasta just thinking about this meal, enjoy!!!
Bow Tie Pasta Salad - full of delicious veggies and perfect for a picnic or bbq - as there is no mayo! Everyone loves this salad and it is fabulous (if I may say so myself!) 😀
And a few more delicious meals to try!
- Homemade Alfredo Sauce - this is a rich, creamy sauce!
- This Carrot Soup Recipe is easy to make with leftover carrots. It's so creamy and delicious!
- Butternut Squash Pasta - pre-made soup makes for a simple sauce for this past!
- Korean Black Bean Noodles - a classic Korean noodle dish that's easy to make at home!
Pasta Primavera Bowl
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup mushrooms sliced
- 1 small zucchini squash sliced
- 1 small yellow squash sliced
- 5-6 stalks asparagus sliced into bite sized pieces
- ½ red onion slice
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ basil roughly torn
- ½ cup chicken stock
- ¼ cup white wine
- ½ cup parmesan cheese + additional for topping the pasta
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- pinch red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 16 oz. package Fettuccini or your favorite pasta
Instructions
- Slice the mushrooms, asparagus and onion. Remove the ends from the squash, slice in half lengthwise and then into half moons. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half.
- Start with the vegetables. Heat the butter & olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and onion and cook for 1 minute.
- Next add the zucchini, yellow squash, asparagus and tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Cook until softened about 3 minutes.
- For the sauce, add the minced garlic to the skillet, and cook until fragrant about 1 minute.
- Next, pour in the chicken broth and wine. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen all the browned bits (that’s where all the flavor is!). Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until reduced by about half. Stir in the Parmesan, and allow the cheese to melt.
- Add the cooked pasta and mix everything together well. If the sauce is too stiff, add a ladle of pasta water.Top with torn basil and Parmesan cheese.
