Description
Pasta Primavera is a classic creamy Italian pasta dish loaded with fresh, tender-crisp vegetables including broccolini, snow peas, asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms, and cherry tomatoes. This dish combines linguine with a rich butter and heavy cream sauce, finished with Parmigiano Reggiano, fresh basil, and toasted pine nuts for a vibrant and satisfying meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta
- 300g / 10 oz linguine (or fettucine, or other long and flat pasta)
Vegetables
- 150g / 5 oz white mushrooms, sliced 0.4cm / 1/6″ thick (~8 pieces)
- 1/2 large zucchini, cut into 0.5cm / 0.2″ rounds (100g/4 oz piece)
- 1 bunch broccolini
- 1 1/2 cup snow peas (~10 pieces, 75g/2.5 oz)
- 1 bunch green asparagus (~8 to 10 stalks)
- 1 cup green peas, defrosted
- 10 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
Sauce & Finishings
- 5 tbsp / 75 g unsalted butter
- 1 cup thickened / heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated (or regular parmesan)
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup pasta cooking water (scooped out just before draining)
- 1 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, finely sliced
- 2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
Instructions
- Prepare the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the linguine according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1/3 cup of the pasta cooking water just before draining the pasta.
- Cook the vegetables: While the pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté briefly until fragrant. Add the white mushrooms, zucchini rounds, broccolini, snow peas, and green asparagus to the skillet. Stir occasionally and cook until all vegetables are tender-crisp, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add cherry tomatoes and peas: Toss in the halved cherry tomatoes and defrosted green peas. Cook for another 2 minutes, just until the tomatoes soften slightly but retain their shape.
- Make the sauce: Lower the heat and add the unsalted butter to the vegetables, stirring until melted. Pour in the heavy cream and mix well to combine, letting it gently simmer for a couple of minutes to thicken slightly.
- Combine pasta and sauce: Add the drained linguine to the skillet with the vegetable cream sauce. Stir gently to coat the pasta evenly.
- Adjust consistency: Pour in the reserved pasta cooking water gradually, stirring to loosen the sauce as needed to achieve a creamy yet fluid consistency.
- Finish with cheese and seasoning: Stir in the grated Parmigiano Reggiano, cooking salt, and black pepper. Mix well, allowing the cheese to melt into the sauce.
- Add basil and pine nuts: Remove from heat and sprinkle in the sliced basil leaves and toasted pine nuts. Toss lightly to distribute evenly and serve immediately for best flavor and texture.
Notes
- This recipe is the Pasta Primavera made famous by Le Cirque restaurant in NYC, first published in the 1970s.
- Timing is crucial to make sure all vegetables finish cooking to a perfect tender-crisp texture simultaneously.
- Don’t skip the pine nuts as they add a signature nutty crunch to the dish.
- To lighten the dish and reduce calories, consider using half-and-half or a lighter cream alternative and decreasing the butter amount.
- You can substitute linguine with fettucine or other long flat pasta shapes based on preference.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 874 kcal
- Sugar: 11 g
- Sodium: 825 mg
- Fat: 56 g
- Saturated Fat: 27 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 24 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 74 g
- Fiber: 7 g
- Protein: 23 g
- Cholesterol: 116 mg
