An EASY pasta recipe that's chock full of brightly colored and lightly sautéed vegetables, penne pasta, and tossed in a light lemon cream sauce with Parmesan cheese! Great for busy weeknights when you need to get a family-approved dinner on the table quickly and you can sneak in lots of veggies!
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time20 minutesmins
Total Time40 minutesmins
Course: Pasta
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cream sauce for pasta primavera, creamy pasta primavera, pasta primavera, pasta primavera sauce, penne pasta primavera, penne primarvera, recipe for pasta primavera, what is in pasta primavera, what is pasta primavera
Servings: 6
Calories: 413kcal
Author: Averie Sunshine
Ingredients
Pasta
12ouncespenne pastaor another favorite pasta
2tablespoonsolive oil
2tablespoonsunsalted butter
1medium red oniondiced small or sliced into thin strips
½cupscarrotsdiced into matchstick-sized pieces
3 to 5clovesgarlicfinely minced
1poundfresh asparagustrimmed and diced into 1-inch long pieces
1medium bell pepperseeded and diced into long thin strips (I used red but orange, yellow, or green are fine)
2cupsbroccoli florets
1yellow squashor zucchini, sliced into thin slices or half round slices
1cupfrozen peasthawed
2cupscherry or grape tomatoeshalved
2tablespoonsfresh parsleyfinely minced
2tablespoonsfresh basilfinely minced
Cream Sauce
½cupheavy whipping cream
½cupfreshly grated Parmesan cheeseplus more for garnishing
1medium lemonzested
Juice from 1 medium lemon
2 to 3teaspoonsItalian seasoningor to taste
1 to 2teaspoonssaltor to taste
1teaspoonfreshly ground black pepperor to taste
Instructions
To a large pot, boil and salt the water for the pasta, cook according to package directions, drain, rinse; set aside in a very large bowl. Meanwhile, while waiting for the pasta to cook, keep moving along on the rest of the recipe.
To a large skillet, add the olive oil, butter, onions, carrots, and saute over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes; stir frequently.
Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute; stir constantly.
Add the asparagus, bell peppers, broccoli, and saute for 3 to 4 minutes; stir frequently.
Add the squash, peas, and saute for 2 to 3 minutes; stir frequently. Tip - Make sure you like the texture of all the vegetables at this point. If you like your vegetables to be softer and less crisp-tender, cook them a bit longer at this stage. They will continue to soften even off the heat due to carryover cooking.
Add all the cooked vegetables to the bowl with the pasta, add the tomatoes, and stir to combine; set aside momentarily.
To a medium bowl, add the heavy cream, Parmesan, lemon zest, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and whisk to combine.
Evenly drizzle the sauce over the pasta and vegetables, and stir very well to combine.
Taste the recipe and check for seasoning balance. Tips - You easily have 3 to 4 pounds of food and so don't be shy with salting it (and peppering) so that you can help the vegetables shine. Without enough salt and pepper, the dish will taste boring and flat. Add enough salt and pepper so that it doesn't! If you want to add 1 teaspoon of chili flakes, this is a great way to add some oomph without over spiciness.
Add the parsley, basil, stir to combine, garnish with extra Parm, and serve immediately.
Notes
Extra pasta primavera will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months. Reheat gently in the microwave. Leftovers won't seem as "saucy" and the texture of the vegetables will change a bit.