Pasta Primavera
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: Entree
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 oz. fresh pasta
- 1 lb asparagus
- 1 medium zucchini, halved and sliced
- 2 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow squash, halved and sliced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2–3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 1–3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2– 1 cup frozen peas
- 1–2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
- salt, pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place a large rimmed baking sheet inside the oven while the oven is preheating.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Prep the asparagus by taking one of the spears and holding it towards the bottom of the spear, bend it until it naturally snaps. The part that snaps off is really tough and fibrous and you definitely don’t want to be chewing on it. You can line up all the asparagus spears and cut off the bottom of the asparagus at the point where the first spear broke off. You can also continue snapping each spear; it will only take you a minute to do. Throw out the fibrous spear tips. (Unless you want to save them to be used in broth later.)
- Toss the asparagus with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Toss the zucchini and yellow squash with another Tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the asparagus, the zucchini and yellow squash on the preheated baking sheet. The baking sheet will be searingly hot, so be careful!
- Roast the vegetables in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1/2 Tablespoon of oil in a skillet. Add the onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, until tender and lightly golden.
- Pour in the heavy cream, bring to a boil and cook for about 2 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
- Add the Parmesan cheese, whisk to combine. Set aside and keep warm.
- When the vegetables and the sauce are both ready, add the fresh pasta to the boiling water and cook for 3-5 minutes only. Fresh pasta cooks SO quickly, which is why I have the rest of the ingredients ready to go before I cook the pasta. Drain the pasta, reserving about a cup of the pasta water.
- Gently toss the pasta, roasted veggies, lemon juice, sauce, frozen peas and parsley together.
- Add some of the reserved pasta water, to loosen the sauce a bit, adding as much as you think it needs. You can garnish each serving with extra parsley and Parmesan cheese.
Notes
The thing about Pasta Primavera is that you can use many kinds of vegetables in this dish. Think bell peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, snap peas, spinach, broccoli, broccolini or carrots. I’m sure you get the idea.You can add some sautéed, roasted or grilled chicken to this dish too.