Pasta Primavera
Published March 6, 2025. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This Pasta Primavera Recipe is perfect for celebrating spring and summer. Fresh seasonal vegetables are sautéed until tender, then tossed with cooked pasta and served with fresh herbs and cheese. Serve it to your family for a refreshing, vegetable-loaded dinner.
I will tell you a secret: placing a bowl of creamy, vegetable-packed pasta primavera in front of your kids is the key to getting them to eat their vegetables. No one in my family (even the kids!) can resist this fresh yet indulgent-tasting pasta dinner, especially when paired with a batch of my Homemade Garlic Bread.
What is Pasta Primavera?
Pasta primavera (meaning “spring pasta” in Italian) is a quick and easy pasta dish disguised as a celebration of fresh produce and seasonal cooking. Al dente pasta noodles are tossed with sautéed spring and summer vegetables and finished with fresh herbs and cheese. This recipe proves you don’t need complicated or fancy ingredients to make a flavor-rich meal.
Despite its Italian influence, pasta primavera is a North American recipe. It was invented in the 1970s by New York restaurateur Sirio Maccioni. His original recipe combined butter, cream, and cheese to make the sauce for the vegetables and pasta. Nowadays, there are endless variations of pasta primavera, making it easy to put your own spin on this classic meal.
Every element from the sauce to the veggies to the seasonings, can be customized just how you like it. I like to take a trip to my local farmer’s market to pick up fresh seasonal produce, and when I’m craving a more luxurious dish, I’ll smother the veggies and pasta in pomodoro sauce or bechamel sauce. Have fun with it! Just don’t forget the freshly shredded cheese on top.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Oil – I like to sauté the vegetables in olive oil, but butter or another neutral oil will also work.
- Vegetables — The best part is choosing the vegetables for your pasta primavera. I used a mix of onions, garlic, carrots, mushrooms, asparagus, fava beans, and tomatoes. You could add leeks, eggplant, corn kernels, broccolini, snap peas, leafy greens, yellow squash, beets, or any other fresh spring and summer veggies you like.
- Olives – I like how Kalamata olives add a briny bite and more Mediterranean charm here. You can substitute Castelvetrano olives or 2 tablespoons of capers instead, or leave them out of the recipe entirely.
- Pasta — You can use any pasta you like here. I usually use the leftover pasta I have in the fridge, but linguine, angel hair, penne, or farfalle are all good options.
- Herbs – I tossed the cooked pasta and vegetables with fresh parsley for a fresh finishing element. Basil leaves work well as a substitute.
How to Make Pasta Primavera
Cook the aromatics: I heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the onions until they’re browned. Next, I cooked the carrots and mushrooms in the skillet. I push the vegetables to one side of the pan and cook the garlic on the other side.
Cook the rest of the vegetables: Next, I stir the asparagus, zucchini, tomatoes, and beans into the vegetable mix and cook for a few more minutes. I finish by stirring in the olives, parsley, salt, and pepper.
Boil the pasta: While the vegetables are cooking, I boil the pasta in salted water. I reserve some of the pasta cooking water before draining the rest.
Toss everything together: I add the cooked and drained pasta to the skillet with the vegetables. I pour in the pasta cooking water and toss until the pasta is well coated and creamy.
Serve with garnishes: I plate the pasta and vegetables and garnish each serving with toasted pine nuts, chopped basil, and parmesan cheese.
Chef Tips + Notes
Why is this the best pasta primavera recipe? Because you can customize it exactly how you like it. These are just a few variation ideas you can use for inspiration: (1) I personally prefer it with fresh seasonal vegetables, but frozen vegetables also work in a pinch; (2) season the veggies with a dry Italian seasoning mix and a pinch of red chili flakes; (3) stir in a generous dollop of basil pesto to make a rich and vibrant pesto primavera pasta; or (4) toss the finished pasta with your preferred cooked protein. The flexibility is endless here!
- Chop the vegetables into even pieces: Small, bite-sized vegetables are easier to eat and cook in the same amount of time.
- Don’t add all of the pasta cooking water at once: Instead, pour a splash of the reserved pasta water into the skillet at a time, toss it to coat the pasta, and continue adding more until the pasta is as saucy and creamy as you like.
- Substitute the pasta water: For more flavor, you can substitute hot vegetable stock or chicken stock for the pasta cooking water. Or, if you’re a saucy pasta person, substitute alfredo sauce to make creamy pasta primavera, or use pomodoro sauce or marinara sauce for a tomato and herb flavor profile.
- Make it extra filling with your favorite protein: Pasta primavera is naturally vegetarian, but you can easily incorporate your favorite proteins if you want a more substantial meal. For chicken pasta primavera, serve the pasta and veggies with cooked and sliced chicken breasts on top. Toss the pasta with boiled or sautéed shrimp before serving for shrimp pasta primavera.
Serving Suggestions
You can’t go wrong with fresh and flavorful garnishes on your pasta. Shred lots of parmesan or pecorino cheese over top. Then, finish each bowl with toasted pine nuts, fresh chopped basil leaves, and/or a squeeze of lemon juice.
For spring and summer dinners, I like to serve pasta primavera with a basket of garlic bread and a Caesar salad. Did you save the leftovers for lunch? Enjoy them with a Chicken Cutlet Sandwich for a fresh and filling meal.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: This dish is best served as soon as it’s ready.
How to Store: Transfer the leftover pasta and vegetables to an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
How to Reheat: Add as much pasta as you eat to a skillet with 1/2 cup of warm water. Heat over low heat, stirring often, until the pasta is warmed through and saucy again.
More Easy Pasta Recipes
- Pasta alla Genovese
- Puttanesca Recipe
- Pasta E Ceci Recipe
- Easy Pesto Pasta Recipe
- Pasta alla Norma Recipe
Video
Pasta Primavera
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ peeled thinly sliced red onions
- 2 peeled thinly sliced carrots
- 6 thinly sliced cremini mushrooms
- 2 finely minced cloves of garlic
- 8-10 thinly sliced stalks of asparagus
- 1 thinly sliced green zucchini
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- ½ cup fava beans, lima beans or peas
- ¼ cup sliced kalamata olives
- 1 pound linguine, angel hair, penne or farfalle pasta
- 1 ½ cups pasta water
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large frying pan over medium heat and cook the red onions until they are lightly browned and tender, about 6-8 minutes.
- Next, add in the carrots and mushrooms and cook for a further 4-5 minutes.
- Scoot the vegetables to one side of the pan and on the other side cook the garlic for 1 to 2 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Stir in the asparagus, zucchini, tomatoes, and beans and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Finish by mixing in the olives, parsley, salt, and pepper.
- When you add in the remaining vegetables to the pasta, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water according to the recommended times on the package and add it to the pan.
- Add the pasta to the pan with cooked vegetables along with pasta water and toss until mixed together.
- Serve with optional garnishes: toasted pine nuts, chopped basil, grated parmesan cheese.
I made this recipe last week and my husband and I both really enjoyed it! It was a great way to have a delicious meatless meal, and we had leftovers the next day! Thank you, chef!
Appreciate you giving it a try!