Italy · Cereal and Pasta Dishes · Vegetarian
Pasta Primavera
Pasta Primavera is a popular American dish inspired by Italian traditions, created in the 1970s at Le Cirque restaurant in New York City. Light and fresh, perfect for spring and summer.
30 min 430 kcal 4 serves Advanced🌿Vegetarian🇮🇹Italy★★★★☆4.4· 5 reviews
Ingredients
ServingsMetric
- 300 gpasta
- 2 tbspolive oil
- 3 clovesgarlic
- 1 red onion, cut into half rings
- 1 smallzucchini
- 1 smallyellow squash
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 yellow or orange bell pepper
- 1 cupfrozen green peas
- 200 gasparagus, cut into bite-size pieces
- 200 gcherry tomatoes
- ½ cupparmesan
- 1 lemon, juice and zest
- 1 tspdried oregano
- 1 tspfresh thyme leaves
- to tastesalt and black pepper
- for garnishfresh basil
Method
- In a large saucepan, bring salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and red onion and sauté until soft, about 3 minutes.
- Add zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers and asparagus. Stir-fry for about 5 minutes until vegetables are soft. Add green peas and cherry tomatoes and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the cooked pasta to the skillet with the vegetables. Pour in the lemon juice and add the lemon zest, dried oregano, fresh thyme, salt and pepper. Mix well.
- Sprinkle with grated parmesan and stir until the cheese melts and coats the pasta. Garnish with fresh basil and serve hot.
FAQ
There's no strict list — primavera means 'spring' in Italian, so use whatever spring or seasonal vegetables you have: broccoli, green beans, spinach, peas, courgette, asparagus, peppers. The key rule: vegetables should stay bright and slightly crisp, not overcooked and mushy.
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Comments (1)
Finish cooking the pasta in the sauce, not in the water. Those last 2 minutes of simmering together create a bond between grain and sauce that plating separately never achieves.