30-Minute Pasta Primavera
Published 2/23/2021 • Updated 1/19/2024
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Calling all veggie lovers! Make this 30-Minute Pasta Primavera that’s loaded with colorful vegetables for the most perfect spring pasta dish EVER.
This pasta primavera seriously is VEGGIE PACKED with all your favorite colorful veg, and is ready to serve in 30 minutes flat. Does it get any better?!
Today we’re walking you through how to make this pasta primavera, variations you can make depending on what veggies you have on hand as well as the best ways to reheat this dish throughout the week. Let’s get into it!
What is Pasta Primavera?
Pasta primavera is a super fresh Italian pasta dish that contains lots of spring vegetables. “Primavera” means spring in Italian, so it makes sense that this dish is full of delicious spring vegetables.
We’re giving our pasta primavera recipe a classic Fit Foodie twist, which for this recipe means loading up on the nutrient rich veggies, and pairing it with a healthy ingredient sauce.
Pasta Primavera — What You Need
For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card to get ingredient amounts and the recipe instructions.
Veggies
- Asparagus
- Broccoli
- Yellow squash
- Red bell pepper
- White onion
- Cherry tomatoes
- English peas
Seasonings & Sauce
- Minced garlic
- Dry white wine
- Vegetable broth
- Tomato paste
- Lemon zest
- Salt & pepper
Pasta
- Penne pasta
Optional Toppings
- We love topping this pasta primavera with fresh basil and parmesan cheese.
How to Make Pasta Primavera
This pasta primavera is easy peasy to whip up! And don’t worry, no mushy vegetables here — you’ll stagger the veggie sautéing to ensure everything is cooked perfectly and tossed in our delicious sauce. Let’s get into it:
First, cook the pasta
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add penne pasta. Cook the pasta until the pasta is cooked just before al dente (pro tip: the pasta will continue to cook later in the recipe). Strain the water from the noodles and set aside for now.
Prepare the vegetables
Heat olive oil in a deep pan or Dutch oven over medium/high heat. When the olive oil is fragrant, add the asparagus to the pot and sprinkle with salt. Sauté the asparagus for 2-3 minutes.
Add broccoli to the pot and sauté for another 2-3 minutes or until the broccoli pieces begin to brown.
Next, add the yellow squash, red pepper, half of the cherry tomatoes, and another dash of salt to the pot and sauté for an additional 2 minutes.
Then, transfer all of the sautéd vegetables into a bowl and set the veggies aside.
Why add the veggies at different times? This allows each veggie to sauté the perfect amount without getting mushy.
Prepare the sauce
Add the remaining olive oil to the pot heat over medium/high heat until fragrant. Then, add the onion and season with a dash salt.
Sauté the onions (stirring periodically) until the onions begin to brown (about 3-4 minutes). Then, add the minced garlic to the onions and sauté for another minute.
Deglaze the pot with white wine and scrape the bottom of the pot with a spatula.
Add the second half of the cherry tomatoes and toss them with the onions until they are covered with oil.
Next, add the broth, tomato paste, lemon juice, lemon zest, pepper, and the last dash of salt to the pot. Whisk the tomato paste into the broth until there are no clumps.
Bring the broth to a boil over high heat and then turn the heat to medium/low and add the peas to the sauce.
Let the sauce simmer over medium heat until it reduces by half (this will take about 10-15 minutes). When the sauce has reduced, add the vegetables to the sauce and toss the vegetables in the sauce until everything is coated.
All Together Now
Add the pasta to the pot and toss everything together. Heat the pasta and vegetables in the sauce until everything is warm.
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and garnish with fresh basil and more fresh lemon zest.
Pasta Primavera Easy Substitutions
There are A BUNCH of easy 1:1 substitutions you can make in this recipe. And as far as the veggies go, feel free to use any of your favorite veggies that aren’t already included here to truly make this recipe your own!
- Penne pasta: don’t have penne on hand? Feel free to use ANY pasta your heart desires! We also love bow ties, rotini or pappardelle.
- Vegetable broth: this recipe is vegetarian, but if you don’t mind losing its vegetarian status, beef or chicken broth will also work.
- Asparagus: green beans are an easy 1:1 substitution for asparagus!
- English peas: ANY fresh or frozen peas will work just fine.
- Red bell pepper: ANY color bell pepper will work great.
- Yellow squash: green squash is a great 1:1 substitution.
- White onion: ANY color onion will work perfectly.
How to Store Pasta Primavera
Let your pasta primavera cool completely. Then, transfer it into an air-tight container and seal. Store in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
To reheat: Transfer chilled pasta primavera into a large frying pan. Add a few tablespoons of broth and reheat over medium heat until warm.
Pasta Primavera Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 oz. penne pasta
- 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
- 1 lb. asparagus, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 cups broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 medium yellow squash, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 large red pepper, chopped
- 1/2 white onion, minced
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 10 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved and separated
- 1.5 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups English peas, or frozen peas
- Serving suggestions: parmesan cheese and fresh basil
Instructions
- First, cook pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add penne pasta. Cook the pasta until the pasta is cooked just before al dente (the pasta will continue to cook later in the recipe). Strain the water from the noodles and set aside.
- Prepare the vegetables for the pasta primavera. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a deep pan or Dutch oven over medium/high heat. When the olive oil is fragrant, add the asparagus to the pot and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Sauté the asparagus for 2-3 minutes.
- Add broccoli to the pot and sauté for another 2-3 minutes or until the broccoli pieces begin to brown.
- Next, add the yellow squash, red pepper, half of the cherry tomatoes, and another 1/8 teaspoon of salt to the pot and sauté for an additional 2 minutes.
- Transfer all of the sautéd vegetables into a bowl and set the veggies aside.
- Prepare the sauce for the pasta primavera. Add the last 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pot heat over medium/high heat until fragrant. Then, add the onion and season with 1/8 teaspoon salt.
- Sauté the onions (stirring periodically) until the onions begin to brown (about 3-4 minutes). Then, add the minced garlic to the onions and sauté for another minute.
- Deglaze the pot with 1/4 cup of white wine and scrape the bottom of the pot with a spatula.
- Add the second half of the cherry tomatoes and toss them with the onions until they are covered with oil.
- Next, add the broth, tomato paste, lemon juice, lemon zest, pepper, and the last 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the pot. Whisk the tomato paste into the broth until there are no clumps.
- Bring the broth to a boil over high heat and then turn the heat to medium/low and add the peas to the sauce.
- Let the sauce simmer over medium heat until it reduces by half (10-15 minutes). When the sauce has reduced add the vegetables to the sauce and toss the vegetables in the sauce.
- Add the pasta to the pot and toss everything together. Heat the pasta and vegetables in the sauce until everything is warm.
- Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and garnish with fresh basil and more lemon zest.
Tips & Notes
- This recipe was updated on February 4th, 2021. Click HERE for the original recipe.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Thoughts on a replacement for the dry white wine if I don’t have that around?
Just use more broth!