This simple Pasta Primavera is packed with veggies and a simple primavera sauce. It’s fresh, healthy, and your table in 20 minutes.
Check out our other favorite pasta salads including Italian Pasta Salad and Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad.
Pasta Primavera translates to “Spring Pasta” and it’s, obviously, perfect for this time of year! It’s completely customizable to what kind of veggies you like or have on hand! I added broccolini (the best!), bell pepper, snap peas and cherry tomatoes, but feel free to add whatever you like.
About the sauce:
Pasta primavera sauce is a very simple sauce made by combining chicken broth, parmesan cheese, cream, salt, pepper, and basil. You can also leave off the sauce and simply toss the pasta and veggies in a little olive oil or melted butter, fresh parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper.
How to Make Pasta Primavera:
- Cook Pasta, set aside.
- Sauté veggies in oil with fresh garlic. Cook until slightly tender; you don’t want to cook them too long.
- Make primavera sauce: Add butter, chicken broth, and cream to a pan. Bring to a simmer and stir in cheese. Season with salt and pepper,
- Toss all ingredients to combine. Add cooked pasta and veggies to the pan, toss, and top with fresh basil, if desired.
Recipe Variations:
- Add protein: Feel free to toss in cooked chicken, tofu, or sautéd shrimp.
- Add veggies: use whatever you have on hand. Zucchini, squash, broccoli are all great additions.
- Swap the noodles: any type of pasta is great for pasta primavera. I am partial to bite sized pasta like penne, barilla, ziti, or shells, but use whatever you have on hand.
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Recipe
Pasta Primavera
Ingredients
For the sauce:Â
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 2/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (or half and half)
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese ,or more, to taste
- salt and freshly ground black pepper ,to taste
- fresh basil leaves , chopped (for garnish, if desired)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Set aside.
- Add olive oil to a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add veggies, season them with a little salt and pepper, and sauté for about 2-4 minutes, just until slightly tender. You don't want to cook them too long. Remove to a plate.
- Add butter to pan. Add chicken broth and cream and bring to a simmer. Stir in cheese. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. If the sauce seems too thick, add more chicken broth, cream or water, to your liking.Â
- Add cooked pasta and veggies to the pan and toss to combine. Top with fresh basil, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe April 2017. Updated April 2021.
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Thanks for a delicious and relatively easy dinner tonight! I used broccoli, zucchini, and yellow squash, a little red onion, and threw in some halved cherry tomatoes before serving. So good. I might double the sauce next time even though it’s not necessary.
Delicious and simple. I used 1 head of broccoli, 2 cloves garlic, a diced red bell pepper, 1 carrot diced, and 1 carton sliced white mushrooms. I did only do 8 ounces of pasta (rotini) like another reviewer suggested, and I think that was the right amount for us.
How many cups of veggies do you recommend (approximately)? I want to make sure I have the right ratio for veggies to sauce and noodles
About how many cups of veggies do you recommend for this recipe?
Amazing!! Even my husband, who is not a huge fan of pasta, asked me to put this on rotation twice a month!! I used the veggies I had on hand, mushrooms and peppers, and my family gladly ate this up. Only change I made was doubling the sauce (because it was that good and we love sauce). Thanks for another great recipe!!
Absolutely delicious. It’s been added into my recipe rotation.
Hi, recipe looks delicious but curious, can cream/dairy be omitted completely?
Yes–you’d just then be eating cooked noodles with sautéed veggies.
Was a HUGE hit for our family, for the adults, kid, and toddler!
My only suggestion/comment would be that I would love a guide on how many vegs total to add, as I added too many and there wasn’t quite enough sauce to go around. Still got no complaints, and was a great lunch the next day too
Very tasty and will make again. Family loved it as a meatless Monday option. Used 4 cups of various veggies, as it was not stated how much to prep. Only used half pound of pasta, as would have been way too much with the whole pound.
Great simple recipe. Made a healthier version with fat free half&half ,salt free broth, reserved pasta water and just shaved the parmigiana cheese on top when serving. Still super delicious!!