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Pasta primavera

By: Jen Bedloe
Former head of food delicious.

Published: 26 Apr 21
Updated: 2 May 24

Pasta primavera is an Italian-American recipe, thought to have been invented in the 1970s. Primavera means ‘spring’ in Italian and in this speedy supper, baby spring vegetables are lightly cooked, then tossed with fettucine (or other long wide pasta) in a silky smooth, buttery sauce.

If you love asparagus pasta dishes, try our asparagus cacio e pepe – it’s simplicity in a dish.

Easy
April 2021

Test kitchen approved

Serves 4
Hands on time 20 min

If you love asparagus pasta dishes, try our asparagus cacio e pepe – it’s simplicity in a dish.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 494kcals
Fat: 20.2g (9.1g saturated)
Protein: 13.6g
Carbohydrates: 55.2g (7.8g sugars)
Fibre: 9.5g
Salt: trace salt

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Ingredients

60g unsalted butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 baby leeks, chopped
1 small carrot, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
350g asparagus – chop up the bottom half, keep the top half whole (or use green beans – keep half whole, then chop the rest in half)
125g petits pois, defrosted if frozen
200ml vegetable stock
100ml white wine (optional – use extra stock if not using)
250-300g pack good quality egg pasta, such as fettucine or pappardelle
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly grated parmesan or vegetarian hard cheese to serve

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Method

Melt the butter with the oil in a large saucepan or sauté pan over a low-medium heat. Add the onion, leeks, carrot and celery and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, asparagus/beans and peas, stirring frequently until nearly tender, around 8 minutes.
Add the stock, and wine if using, then simmer gently until almost all the liquid has evaporated and the vegetables are fully tender. Season to taste, then leave on a low heat.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water, according to the pack instructions, until al dente (firm to the bite). Drain loosely, then add to the pan of sauce along with the olive oil, tossing well to coat the pasta. Serve straight away in warmed pasta bowls, topped with a scattering of freshly grated cheese (see Tips).