One Pot Creamy Pasta Primavera is an easy meatless meal, ready in less than 30 minutes. Fresh seasonal vegetables and pasta are coated in a creamy herb sauce.
Creamy pasta primavera is easy to make with just a handful of simple ingredients. The cream sauce is filled with with light, fresh flavor from a squeeze of lemon juice and Italian herbs.
This dish is perfect for spring and summer, when your pantry is filled with fresh vegetables. Ready in about 20 minutes, it’s ideal as a weeknight meal or quick weekend lunch.
Plus, it’s easy to customize with any pasta and vegetables you have on hand. No fresh vegetables? No problem. Toss in a bag or two of thawed frozen veggies instead.
Ingredients
For this recipe, you’ll need fresh vegetables (I used bell pepper, zucchini, grape tomatoes, and peas), chicken or vegetable broth, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, pasta, and a lemon.
What pasta should I use?
There is no right or wrong answer for pasta here. I’d suggest a medium-sized tube pasta like penne, rigatoni, or ziti, or a strand pasta like spaghetti or fettuccine.
Keep in mind that for whatever pasta you use, you’ll want to look at the box’s cooking directions and adjust the times shown in the recipe card. You want to cook your pasta, whatever shape or size, to al dente.
Seasonal vegetables
The great part about pasta primavera is that you can use any seasonal vegetables you have on hand. My favorite choices? Zucchini, squash, bell pepper, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, cherry tomatoes, peas, mushrooms, and onions.
If you don’t have any fresh vegetables on hand, thaw some frozen vegetables to toss in. For example, I used thawed frozen peas in combination with the fresh vegetables I had available. Or, try tossing in a bag of thawed broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots.
Pasta cook times
Pasta cook timesSince this entire meal is made in a single pan, you’ll start your pasta, then partway through add your seasonal vegetables.
Check your pasta’s package directions for cook times. Different sizes of pasta take different amounts of time to cook, so it’s important to check before beginning. Otherwise, your pasta may be over-cooked by the time your vegetables cook through.
For example, my fettuccine takes 12 minutes to cook to al dente. So, I cooked my pasta for 5 minutes, added my vegetables, then allowed everything to cook for another 7 minutes.
If your pasta takes 9 minutes to cook to al dente, you’ll want to add your vegetables after 2 minutes, so that they still have 7 minutes to cook through.
If you have a pasta that takes less than 7 minutes to cook, add your vegetables first, then add your pasta at the time needed to cook it to al dente.
One Pot Creamy Pasta Primavera
Ingredients
- 18 ounces chicken broth
- 8 ounces pasta
- 4 cups seasonal vegetables cut into bite size pieces, if needed
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a saute pan over medium heat, add chicken broth and pasta. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low.
- Consult pasta's cooking directions for al dente pasta. Cook pasta until 7 minutes remain, then add vegetables, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir, cover, and cook for remaining 7 minutes. Pasta and vegetables should be cooked through and most of liquid should be absorbed.(ex: if pasta takes 12 minutes to cook to al dente, cook for 5 minutes, add vegetables, then cook for remaining 7 minutes).
- Uncover pan and add heavy cream, lemon juice, and parmesan cheese. Stir and cook for 1 minute, or until cheese has melted.
- Remove from heat and allow to set for 5 minutes before serving. Sauce will continue to thicken as it stands.
Equipment
Notes
- 18 ounces of broth = 2 1/4 liquid cups
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice = juice from 1 lemon
- Chicken broth can be substituted with vegetable broth.
- Recommended seasonal vegetables: Zucchini, squash, bell pepper, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, cherry tomatoes, peas, mushrooms, onions.
- If using frozen vegetables, thaw before cooking.
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