You're going to love this creamy pasta primavera dish! It's packed full of fresh vegetables and baked until hot & bubbly! The cheesy sauce and crispy topping makes this dish irresistible!
This cheesy baked tortellini pasta casserole should be next on your menu!
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
This dish is simple to make and filled with vegetables, dripping in a creamy homemade Alfredo Sauce - YUM!
- Even though this dish is meatless, it's hearty and filling!
- Isn't it pretty? All of the colors make this dish mouthwatering!
- It's simple enough for busy weeknights, but fancy enough for Sunday brunch and perfect for Mother's Day.
- You could even use this as a side dish, wouldn't that be lovely?
There are loads of reasons to love this recipe!
🗒️ Ingredients
For the exact measurements, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- bow tie pasta - though you can really use any type of pasta for this dish; Macaroni, penne pasta, rigatoni or orecchiette would all be delicious!
- assorted vegetables - I used tomatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, asparagus, tomatoes and frozen peas.
- garlic powder, salt, black pepper - for seasoning
- milk, wine, cheese, butter & flour for the sauce - no wine, don't worry! You can substitute with chicken broth or vegetable broth. For extra creaminess substitute heavy whipping cream.
- freshly grated parmesan cheese and bread crumbs for a crispy, cheesy topping!
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions for traditional pasta primavera. For the complete directions just scroll down to the bottom!
- Preheat the oven and cook the pasta to al dente in a large pot of water according to package directions, drain pasta saving about a cup of pasta water.
- Cut the vegetables into bite-size pieces.
- To make the primavera sauce, start by melting the butter over medium-high heat. Add the flour and whisk for two minutes until the flour is incorporated.
- Next whisk in the wine, keep stirring until it's smooth.
- Now do the same with the milk. Slow pour it in while whisking the whole time, the sauce will start to thicken.
- Add the cheese continuing to stir until it's melted. Sprinkle in the salt, pepper and garlic salt.
- When the sauce is thick, stir in the cooked pasta and vegetables, mix everything together well.
- Pour into prepared casserole dish and top the pasta primavera bake with bread crumbs and fresh parmesan cheese. Bake until hot & bubbly! Serve with extra parmesan cheese to pass at the table - YUM!
🙋♀️ FAQ's
Transfer to a microwavable dish and top with a splash of milk. Reheat at 30 second intervals until heated through.
Just about any are great. You can literally clean out your vegetable drawer and use them! One more reason to love this recipe!
There's no need to cook them prior to baking, they'll cook in the oven. How awesome is that?!!
Tips
- No farfelle (bow tie) pasta? No problem, any medium-sized pasta will be delicious. Penne, ziti, rotini or rigatoni - all would be delicious!
- Cook pasta to al dente - do not overcook the pasta.
- Be sure to cook the pasta in plenty of water, well seasoned with salt.
- Use lots of veggies!
- Adding extra veggies is great - adding too much pasta will make the dish dry.
- A squeeze of fresh lemon juice over the meal at the end will brighten the rich meal.
Short on time? Build the meal in a large skillet and skip the baking. Take it right to the dinner table for a quick and easy meal!
Pro Tip: Don't overcook the pasta, boil to al dente. It will finish cooking in the oven.
Variations
There are some yummy variations for creamy vegetable pasta! Add cooked rotisserie chicken, cooked boneless skinless chicken breast or shrimp. That would be delicious!
Any bright fresh spring vegetables are terrific in this recipe!
- fresh zucchini
- red, orange or yellow peppers, really any sweet bell pepper
- yellow squash
- mushrooms
- fresh asparagus
- eggplant
- frozen peas or snap peas
- broccoli florets
- carrots
- green beans
- cauliflower
- red or yellow onions
- spinach
- cherry tomatoes
Using Pepper Jack cheese or a pinch of red pepper flakes will give the sauce just a hint of spice.
Reduce the amount of milk to 1 ½ cups and add a cup heavy cream for incredible richness.
Use low-carb or gluten-free pasta.
Storage
To refrigerate, allow the casserole to completely cool before covering it and refrigerating. It will last in the refrigerator up to three days.
This creamy pasta primavera will freeze well. Again, allow it to cool completely, transfer to an airtight container and freeze up to three months.
Servings suggestions
This is really a meal in itself, so I'm ok without making a side dish.... but... if you're looking for a dish to serve alongside, Roasted Brussels sprouts would be great with this dish!
A bright fresh Caesar salad would be great (I often use bagged salads) or this fresh garden salad - it's my favorite! Crusty French bread served alongside is amazing!
Related recipes
There are so many wonderful casseroles that are easy to make and perfect for simple, hearty meals - like this recipe for Chicken Noodle Casserole. Here are more of my favorites!
- Chicken Spaghetti Recipe - creamy with just a hint of spice- is a delicious dish the whole family will love!
- Tuna Noodle Casserole - classic comfort, family favorite! This easy pantry recipe is a staple in our house. Oh, and if you're wondering what to serve with Tuna Casserole, these are my favorite side dishes!
- Creamy Beef Noodle Casserole - this recipe is the best! Perfect for picky eaters and hungry families!
- Stuffed Bell Pepper Casserole - all the flavor of stuffed bell peppers, YUM! But none of the work. This is easy to make and a real crowd pleaser.
- Philly Cheesesteak Baked Tortellini - minutes to make and everyone will be asking for seconds. It's cheesy, creamy and lick the plate good!
👩🏫 What I've Learned
There's some hints I'd like to share for making creamy pasta primavera.
- Don't skimp on cooking the flour for two minutes. If you do the sauce will have an icky raw flour taste.
- Adding more pasta may sound like a great way to stretch the dish, but the pasta will be dry instead of swimming in a creamy sauce!
- If your sauce is too thick, thin it out with pasta water you saved.
Creamy Pasta Primavera
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10 ounces bow tie pasta about ¾ of the box
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 ½ cups milk low fat or 2% works great
- ¼ cup dry white wine recommend chardonnay
- 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese I used preshredded cheese
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder can substitute with one fresh garlic clove, minced.
- 4 cups assorted fresh vegetables zucchini, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes, asparagus - use your favorites!
- ¼ cup bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the casserole dish by spraying with non-stick cooking spray.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions to al dente, drain well. Save about a cup of pasta water to add to the sauce if needed.
- Start by melting the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for two minutes until the flour is incorporated.
- Next whisk in the wine, whisking to incorporate. The sauce will be a smooth paste.
- Now do the same with the milk. Slow pour it in while whisking the whole time, the sauce will start to thicken. Add the cheese continuing to stir until it's melted. Sprinkle in the seasonings - salt, pepper and garlic powder.
- When the sauce is thick, stir in the cooked pasta and vegetables, mix everything together well.
- Pour into the prepared casserole dish and top with bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered for about 20 minutes or until hot & bubbly!
Notes
- Don't skimp on cooking the flour for two minutes. If you do the sauce will have an icky raw flour taste.
- Adding more pasta may sound like a great way to stretch the dish, but the pasta will be dry instead of dripping with cheesy sauce!
- If your sauce is too thick, thin it out with pasta water you saved.
Nutrition
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Marie
Can this primavera be made in advance?
Bowl Me Over
Yes this recipe can be made a day ahead. Hold off on adding the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese until you are ready to place it in the oven. Ideally I would cook the pasta and prepare all of the ingredient but hold off assembling until you're ready to bake.