This pasta primavera is an easy, delicious, colorful, and veggie-packed meal that's full of bold flavor from fresh lemon, garlic, aromatic basil, and nutty Parmesan cheese. Ready in just 30 minutes, you can easily customize it using your favorite seasonal vegetables.
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"Primavera" means spring in Italian, so the idea is to use lots of fresh spring vegetables in this dish. However, it will be just as delicious with your favorite seasonal veggies, like in my one pot pasta and vegetarian tortellini salad.
Although pasta primavera has bold Italian flavor, it actually originated in the U.S., at Le Cirque restaurant in NYC in the 1970's. It has become a favorite amongst Americans in the decades since then, and can frequently be found on Italian restaurant menus. But, it's so easy to make in your own kitchen. So, let's get started!
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⭐️ Why This Pasta Primavera Recipe is the Best
- Fresh, bright, healthy, delicious, and colorful vegetarian pasta dish for spring or summer
- Versatile and customizable - add your favorite protein or use a dairy substitute
- Great meal prep option
- You can use frozen veggies
🫛 Ingredient Notes
- Bow tie pasta (or any short pasta noodles) - Because this is a veggie packed dish, I prefer to use short pasta noodles so that you can pierce them with a fork, but you can also use long pasta if you prefer.
- Vegetable assortment - You'll use quite a few vegetables for this recipe, including zucchini, carrot, red bell pepper, asparagus, peas, and cherry tomatoes. You can use fresh or frozen vegetables with great results.
- Garlic - Using fresh garlic really makes a difference in flavor
- Italian seasoning - You can easily make your own Italian spice blend if you run out!
- Parmesan cheese - For the best melt-ability, aim to use fresh Parmesan that you shred yourself, as pre-shredded cheese has preservatives that prevent it from melting well.
- Lemon - You'll need both the zest and juice from a lemon
- Fresh basil leaves - Adds aromatics and fresh flavor. If you only have dried basil, use 1 tablespoon as a substitute.
📝 Variations & Substitutions
- Vegan/dairy-free pasta: You can easily substitute vegan Parmesan cheese for a dairy-free or vegan pasta dish!
- Gluten-free: Swap the pasta noodles for your favorite gluten-free pasta.
- Add protein: Boost the amount of protein in your primavera by adding cooked chickpeas, tofu, beans, or a handful of nuts.
🔪 How to Make Pasta Primavera
Over high heat, bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add a large pinch of salt. Cook pasta according to (al dente) package instructions. After pasta is cooked, set aside ½ cup of pasta water and drain the pasta.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, bell pepper, and asparagus, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
Next, add the zucchini and cherry tomatoes, and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until all of the vegetables are crisp-tender. Add garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper, and cook for an additional minute.
Add the cooked pasta, ¼ to ½ cup pasta water, peas, Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, and lemon juice, fresh basil, and toss to combine. Season to taste and serve immediately.
👩🏼🍳 Expert Tips
- Storage: Place pasta in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- How to reheat pasta: Transfer to a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water to help re-hydrate it, and stir occasionally for about 10 minutes, or until heated through.
- Cook vegetables until tender-crisp. Don't overcook them, as the texture will be too soft.
- Cook the pasta al dente. Follow the al dente cooking instructions on your pasta packaging.
- Cut vegetables uniformly. This will ensure that they cook evenly.
- Use short pasta noodles. Rigatoni, penne, farfalle, or orecchiette all work great.
- Season pasta water. Be sure to add a generous pinch of salt to your pasta water before you add the noodles.
🍽 What to Serve with Pasta Primavera
I like to serve this pasta dish with either a light salad or some type of bread. Although it's already packed with veggies, you can never have too many! Here are some recipe ideas:
🍝 More Pasta Recipes
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Pasta Primavera Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 ounces bow tie pasta (or any short pasta noodles)
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced into half moons
- 1 large carrot, cut into thin strips
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
- 1 bunch of asparagus, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 zucchini, thinly sliced into half moons
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup frozen peas, thawed
- ¾ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
Instructions
- Over high heat, bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add a large pinch of salt. Cook pasta according to (al dente) package instructions. After pasta is cooked, set aside ½ cup of pasta water and drain the pasta.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, bell pepper, and asparagus, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Next, add the zucchini and cherry tomatoes, and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until all of the vegetables are crisp-tender. Add garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper, and cook for an additional minute.
- Add the cooked pasta, ¼ to ½ cup pasta water, peas, Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, and lemon juice, fresh basil, and toss to combine. Season to taste and serve immediately.
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Notes
- Storage: Place pasta in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- How to reheat pasta: Transfer to a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water to help re-hydrate it, and stir occasionally for about 10 minutes, or until heated through.
- Cook vegetables until tender-crisp. Don't overcook them, as the texture will be too soft.
- Cook the pasta al dente. Follow the al dente cooking instructions on your pasta packaging.
- Cut vegetables uniformly. This will ensure that they cook evenly.
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