This Creamy Garlic Spring Vegetable Pasta Primavera is the perfect way to enjoy some of the best fresh spring produce. With a luscious creamy sauce that has a hint of lemon, it really lets the gorgeous green spring vegetables shine. Sprinkled with a generous amount of parsley bread crumbs for the perfect crunch.
Ingredients
Ingredients for this creamy vegetable pasta:
- Pasta: Any kind of short pasta really works here.
- Asparagus: So deliciously fresh this time of year!
- Peas: You could use fresh or frozen for this recipe.
- Zucchini: Another great spring veggie.
- Garlic: Creamy garlic pasta is of course loaded with garlic.
- Shallot: A bit more mild than an onion, perfect for a light sauce.
- Heavy cream: The base of the cream sauce.
- Milk: Whole milk makes up the other portion of the sauce.
- Parmesan cheese: Melts beautifully into the sauce and of course grate more on top. Freshly grated is always preferred but not absolutely necessary.
- Lemon zest: Brightens up the dish!
Ingredients for the garlic parsley toasted breadcrumbs:
- Butter: To toast the breadcrumbs in.
- Fresh parsley: Chopped finely and added to the toasted breadcrumbs is the perfect topping.
- Panko breadcrumbs: Toasted in some butter really is a game changer.
Step by step instructions
This creamier spring take on more traditional pasta primavera is a delicious, satisfying, and indulgent vegetarian pasta recipe that takes just about 30-minutes start to finish.
Overview:
- Sauté the veggies, shallot, and garlic.
- Add the cream and milk and simmer until thickened.
- Mix in the parmesan cheese.
- Add the pasta and continue to thicken the sauce.
- Add lemon zest.
- Toast the breadcrumbs in melted butter with crushed garlic. Then mix with fresh parsley.
Detailed instructions:
1. Cook the vegetables. In a large pan heat 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium heat. Add the asparagus, peas, zucchini, shallot, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook until it all starts to get soft, about 5-8 minutes.
2. Make the sauce. To the pan with the veggies, add the milk and heavy cream. Bring to a light simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 8-10 minutes. It'll still be a little loose. To test: dip a spoon into the sauce and swipe your finger on the back of it - if the sauce doesn't quickly funnel back together then you're good to go.
(start cooking your pasta while the sauce is thickening)
3. Add the parmesan cheese. To the sauce add parmesan cheese and mix together.
4. Add the pasta. When the pasta is cooked to al dente (a few minutes before the package directions say it's ready) add it to the sauce and continue to simmer. The starch in the pasta will help finish the thickening of the sauce.
5. Add the lemon zest. Mix in the lemon zest to finish off the pasta and sauce.
6. (Optional) make the breadcrumbs. Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the panko breadcrumbs and smashed garlic. When the breadcrumbs are golden, remove from the heat, take the garlic out, and mix in the chopped fresh parsley.
Tips and tricks
- Use other vegetables. You want 2 - 2 ½ cups of vegetables total. So if you don't like one of the ones I've detailed above, swap for one you do love!
- Broccoli, leeks, cauliflower, spinach, all would be delicious.
- Great spring produce list here.
- Use fresh or frozen peas - whichever is available to you!
- Swap the kind of pasta! Make it gluten free with gluten free pasta. Sneak in another veggie with lentil pasta. Or make it a bit healthier with whole wheat pasta.
- Switch up the pasta shapes! Short, ridged pastas are best for this one because they are a similar size to the veggies making it all easier and more enjoyable to eat, and ensuring the sauce gets all stuck in the ridges. This shape is also is ideal for finishing simmering in the sauce.
- Add a little spice. When you sauté the vegetables add some red pepper flakes to add a some heat.
- To prep asparagus - bend the lower third of the stem, where it breaks naturally is where it should be separated. You can then cut the other stems at a similar spot.
- While this is a meat-free, vegetarian pasta recipe, you can add protein if you'd like – chicken or shrimp would be great!
- If you can't find or don't like parmesan cheese, try pecorino romano. Very similar!
FAQs
Store this recipe in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat in the microwave for 2-4 minutes depending on the strength of your microwave - mixing half way through.
Absolutely! Shrimp or ground chicken/turkey would be my recommendation, but really any meat would be just fine.
Sub the heavy cream and whole milk for coconut milk and use a dairy free cheese.
Sure! Alfredo or something similar. Just add a little pasta water to thin it out, and add the lemon zest to finish it off.
It is!
I recommend making it right before you serve, because cream sauces firm up a bit the longer they sit.
More pasta recipes
- Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
- Corn & Tomato Pasta
- Vegetarian Baked Ziti
- Roasted Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese
Recipe
Creamy Spring Vegetable Pasta
INGREDIENTS
- 1 lb rigatoni
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup frozen peas
- ½ bunch asparagus trimmed and cut in 3rds
- 2 zucchini cut into half moons ½ inch thick
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 shallot minced
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Parsley breadcrumbs:
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- 1 garlic clove smashed
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large pan heat 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium heat. Add the asparagus, peas, zucchini, shallot, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook until it all starts to get soft, about 5-8 minutes.
- Start cooking your pasta.
- To the pan with the veggies, add the milk and heavy cream. Bring to a light simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 8-10 minutes. It'll still be a little loose. To test: dip a spoon into the sauce and swipe your finger on the back of it - if the sauce doesn't quickly funnel back together then you're good to go.
- Add parmesan cheese to the sauce and combine.
- When the pasta is cooked to al dente (a few minutes before the package directions say it's ready) add it to the sauce and continue to simmer. The starch in the pasta will help finish the thickening of the sauce.
- Mix in the lemon zest to finish off the pasta and sauce.
Breadcrumbs
- Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the panko breadcrumbs and smashed garlic.
- When the breadcrumbs are golden, remove from the heat, take the garlic out, and mix in the chopped fresh parsley.
lisa
Made this the other night and it was delicious!!!!