Recipe: Perfect Pasta Primavera

Pasta Primavera. A hearty, veggie packed pasta dish that's perfect for serving year round! It has so much fresh flavor, it's a great way to use up those vegetables in the fridge. Why resurrect pasta primavera at all?

Pasta Primavera is one of the tastiest ways to eat all your vegetables. Think of it as a "kitchen sink" pasta recipe and load it up with whatever veggies you have on hand. This Pasta Primavera is buttery and rich but still feels light from the lemon zest and fresh herbs—it's the perfect dish to make after a visit to your local farmers market. You can cook Pasta Primavera using 11 ingredients and 4 steps. Here is how you achieve that.

Ingredients of Pasta Primavera

1. You need 3 tbsp. of salted butter, divided.
2. It's of About 2 cups chopped veggies (see step 1 for more details).
3. Prepare 3 cloves of garlic, minced.
4. It's 2 cups of penne pasta, uncooked.
5. Prepare of Salt and pepper.
6. Prepare 1/4 tsp. of Italian seasoning.
7. Prepare 1/4 tsp. of salt free all purpose seasoning.
8. Prepare of Zest of 1 large lemon.
9. You need of Juice of half large lemon.
10. It's 1/2 cup of reserved starchy pasta water.
11. You need 1/4 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese + more for topping.

Pasta primavera is a light and flavorful main dish chocked full of vegetables, and it is perfect for spring and summer. This Pasta Primavera recipe consists of warm penne bursting with roasted vegetables and parmesan. A flavorful pasta dish ready in a flash and packed with fresh, healthy veggies. Pasta primavera implies that fresh spring vegetables are used--it doesn't really matter specifically what they are.

Pasta Primavera step by step

1. For this recipe, it's pretty versatile, so use whatever veggies you have on hand, just be sure to chop them all to roughly even pieces. Pictured up top, I used yellow squash, broccoli florets, shredded carrots, sliced cherry tomatoes, green onions and peas...just to give an idea. This is a great chance to clean out the veggie drawer..
2. Heat a large pot of salted water over high heat. Once it comes to a boil, cook the penne pasta according to the box directions until it is al dente. Before draining the pasta, reserve about 1/2 cup of the starchy water and set it aside, then drain the pasta and return it to the empty pot. While you're waiting on the water to boil, begin to cook the veggies, that way everything should be finished at roughly the same time..
3. In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp. of the butter over medium heat. If you have some heartier veggies, add them to the skillet first (I added my broccoli florets and yellow squash first, to give them a head start), then add more delicate veggies after the heartier ones have had a few minutes to soften up a bit. Once all the veggies are relatively crisp-tender, add in the garlic and season it all with the Italian seasoning, all purpose seasoning and about 1/4 tsp. each of salt and pepper..
4. Once the veggies are ready, toss them into the pot with the cooked pasta, then top with the remaining butter, lemon zest, lemon juice and grated parmesan. Stir it all together, then drizzle in the reserved pasta water a bit at a time, until the pasta is at a good consistency (I usually end up using closer to 1/4 cup). Taste and season with some more salt and pepper, to taste. Then serve with some additional freshly grated parmesan cheese over the top..

This pasta primavera recipe is perfect to enjoy all year long. This pasta dish is a wonderful blend of tender, crisp, colorful vegetables and a creamy Parmesan cheese sauce. When I think of springtime, asparagus comes to mind. Penne Pasta Primavera is a delicious and healthy meal that is full of crunchy veggies and tender That's where this Penne Pasta Primavera comes in. The veggies are cooked just enough to make.