Pasta Primavera
Pasta primavera, meaning "spring pasta" in Italian, is a delicious vegetable-forward pasta dish using in-season or Spring vegetables! This recipe uses asparagus, zucchini, peas, and cherry tomatoes, all flavored with a white wine and Parmigiano Reggiano herbed cheese sauce.
Servings 6
Calories 478kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound fusilli pasta
- 3 Tablespoon olive oil
- 8 cloves garlic sliced
- 1 large shallot
- 1 pound asparagus
- 1 medium/large zucchini
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup defrosted frozen peas
- 1 generous splash dry white wine, around 3-4 Tablespoons
- 1 1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1 1/2 cups pasta water as needed
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- salt & black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare pasta water: Fill a large pot with water, generously salt, and bring to a boil.
- Cook the shallots and garlic: In a large sauté pan over medium heat, sauté the garlic and shallots in olive oil, stirring frequently so the garlic doesn’t burn. About 2 minutes.
- Cook the asparagus or crunchier veggies first: Add the chopped asparagus with a generous pinch of salt, and cook for 3 minutes until slightly softened.
- Cook the zucchini, then the tomatoes: Add the diced zucchini, cook for another 2 minutes, then add the halved cherry (grape) tomatoes with another generous pinch of salt. Stir frequently and cook for several minutes.
- Cook the pasta: Around this time, cook the fusilli pasta according to the package. I recommend cooking the pasta until it's al dente. Reserve about 1-2 cups of pasta water, then drain the pasta.
- Add the peas and white wine: Add to the vegetables a generous splash of white wine (3-4 Tablespoons), then add the frozen peas, stir and let this cook down for another 3-5 minutes.
- Add the pasta, pasta water, and cheese. Finally, add the cooked and drained Fusilli pasta to your vegetables, freshly shredded Parmigiano Reggiano, and a generous splash of pasta water. Cook and stir, adding cheese and pasta water as needed to bring everything into a creamy cheesy sauce; this can take a few minutes - I like to do the cheese and pasta water in batches and continue stirring on a low heat. Then top with chopped fresh basil and parsley and cracked black pepper.
- Serve with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 356g | Calories: 478kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 744mg | Potassium: 689mg | Fiber: 7g | Vitamin A: 1408IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 306mg | Iron: 5mg