Italian · Main · Easy
Pasta Primavera
Garden vegetables, quick-sauteed until bright and crisp-tender, tossed with penne in a light garlic and olive oil sauce. Spring on a plate, all year round.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Pasta Primavera, in 5 ideas
- Cut the vegetables to roughly the same size so they finish cooking at the same time.
- Crisp-tender is the target, soggy vegetables sink this dish, so keep the heat high and do not overcrowd the pan.
- The lemon juice at the end wakes everything up, add it off the heat so the flavor stays bright.
- This is a clean-out-the-crisper recipe, swap in asparagus, snap peas, or mushrooms as the seasons change.
- Add the basil last, off the heat, so it stays fragrant instead of going dark and bitter.
What you need
Ingredients
- 12 oz penne
- 1 zucchini, halved and sliced
- 1 yellow squash, halved and sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
How to make it
Directions
- Boil the penne in well-salted water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water, then drain.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli, zucchini, yellow squash, and bell pepper with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cherry tomatoes and cook 2 more minutes until the tomatoes soften and the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the drained penne and a splash of pasta water. Toss for 1 minute so the vegetables and pasta come together.
- Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice, Parmesan, and basil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve with extra Parmesan and basil on top.
Buy the in-season vegetables at the farmers market or the marked-down rack, they are cheaper and taste better, and any firm veg works here.