If you’re looking for a new spring pasta dish, look no further than pasta primavera. The word “primavera” means “spring” in Italian, and this veggie-loaded pasta dish will load you up with all of the best veggies of the season.
Pasta primavera is an Italian-American dish that was made popular in by restauranteur, Sirio Maccioni, in the 1970s. Maccioni served the dish at his renowned restaurant Le Cirque and it soon became a hit among the masses. The traditional recipe calls for heavy cream and spring vegetables. In this recipe, I use lemon juice in exchange for the heavy cream to give it a more “spring-like” flavor.
One of my favorite parts of this recipe is its adaptability. You can add-in or switch out any of the vegetables in this recipe and use whatever you like or have on hand. All the veggies does mean there is a lot of chopping involved, but once you’ve got the chopping done, this recipe comes together within a matter of minutes and requires minimal dishes.
Pasta Primavera
Ingredients
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 3-4 cups broccoli florets
- 20 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 small zucchini or yellow squash, sliced
- 3 bell peppers, chopped
- 1 cup baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- Salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste
- 16 ounces pasta of choice
Directions
- In your largest skillet, add olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until just golden brown.
- Add broccoli, tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, mushrooms, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to the skillet. Mix until everything is well combined. Cover the skillet with a lid and let cook for 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables become tender. Stir the mixture regularly so that the vegetables do not burn.
- Once the vegetables have cooked for around 10 minutes, boil water for the pasta. Cook pasta according to the instructions on the box.
- Add the vegetable mixture to the cooked pasta. Mix until the vegetables are well incorporated.