Creamy pasta primavera is an easy one pot meal that's ready in less than 30 minutes. Fresh seasonal vegetables and pasta are coated in a creamy herb sauce.

Recipe summary
Flavor: Bright flavor from seasonal vegetables, with a hint of lemon and herbs.
Customize with your favorite veggies: I used bell pepper, peas, zucchini, and cherry tomatoes, but your favorite fresh or frozen veggies work great in this recipe.
Serves: 4 people
Similar to: Creamy Asparagus Pasta and Lemon Garlic Pasta
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Pasta - A strand pasta like spaghetti or fettuccine, or a medium-sized tube pasta like penne, rigatoni, or ziti works best.
- Vegetables - Just about any seasonal or frozen vegetables you have on hand will work in this recipe. Today I'm using yellow bell pepper, frozen peas (thawed first), zucchini, and cherry tomatoes.
- Liquids - Broth and heavy cream create a thick, creamy, and savory sauce. Vegetable broth or chicken broth works in this recipe.
- Flavor - Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes enhance the flavor of the skillet meal.
How to make pasta primavera
- Add broth and pasta to a 12-inch sauté pan and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until 7 minutes remain.
- Add vegetables and seasoning, cover, and continue cooking until pasta is al dente.
- Add heavy cream, cheese, and lemon juice.
- Stir to combine and cook for 1 minute, or until cheese has melted.
Tips and tricks
Consult your pasta's package cook times - Different shapes and brands cook at different rates, so consult your pasta's package directions for the 'al dente' cook time. Cook your pasta until 7 minutes remain, add your veggies, then continue cooking for the remaining 7 minutes. This allows enough time for your veggies to cook through without getting soggy.
Accurately measure your pasta and broth - Just enough broth is added to cook your pasta through without leaving excess liquid in the pan. If too much broth is added, your sauce will turn out thin.
Pan looking dry? - Add a splash of water and turn the heat down slightly.
Excess liquid in the pan? - If there's extra liquid in the pan after your pasta is finished cooking, feel free to drain a little broth out. Otherwise, your sauce will turn out thin.
Allow it to rest - Allowing your skillet to rest for 5 minutes gives the sauce time to thicken as it stands.
Frequently asked questions
Your sauce can turn out thin if too much broth is added, too little pasta is added, or maybe your veggies released a lot of liquid as they cooked in the pan. If a lot of broth remains in the pan after cooking the pasta and veggies, drain some of the liquid before continuing on. Allow your skillet to rest for 5 minutes before serving - the sauce will continue to thicken as it cools down.
Smaller pasta shapes or fresh pasta may take less than 7 minutes to cook to al dente (the time it takes for your vegetables to cook). If so, bring your broth to a simmer, add your veggies, then add the pasta when needed. Example: If your pasta only takes 5 minutes to cook, add your veggies, then after 2 minutes, add your pasta.
Yes, but keep in mind that adding vegetables straight from the freezer may slow down your cook time by bringing down the temperature of the skillet. Add 1-2 minutes to account for the addition of frozen veggies.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
One Pot Creamy Pasta Primavera
Ingredients
- 18 ounces vegetable broth
- 8 ounces pasta
- 4 cups seasonal vegetables, cut into bite size pieces if needed
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, *
Instructions
- In a sauté pan over medium heat, add broth and pasta. Bring to a simmer, 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 Recommendations
Notes
- * To make vegetarian: Substitute parmesan cheese with a rennet-free parmesan, vegetarian parmesan, or other Italian hard cheese that is labeled as vegetarian or vegan.
- 18 ounces of broth = 2 ¼ liquid cups
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice = juice from 1 lemon
- Recommended seasonal vegetables: Zucchini, squash, bell pepper, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, cherry tomatoes, peas, mushrooms, onions.
- If using frozen vegetables: Thaw before cooking, or add 1-2 minutes to your cook time.
This recipe was spectacular. I made enough for a crowd thinking there would be scripted clean. we all loved it.
The directions state to cook the pasta in chicken broth but the ingredients listed state vegetable broth. Which one is recommended?
Vegetable broth and chicken broth will both work in this recipe. It's written using vegetable broth, but I frequently use chicken broth because I always have it on hand (hence the typo!).
This recipe was so easy and yummy! I used an artisan fettuccini pasta which is lovely by itself and added locally grown zucchini, orange bell pepper, onion, and green beans. This is by far one of the tastiest and easiest pasta primavera recipes I've ever made. A keeper for sure!
Tried this tonight and hubby says it’s definitely one to add to the rotation. Didn’t have linguini but I used penne. It only needed 5 minutes so I threw in the veggies first and crossed my fingers. I also added a couple tbsp of pesto (because I had it). Very creamy perfectly seasoned dish. And only 1 pot to wash!
Fantastic!