Creamy Pasta Primavera Vegetables (Print)
Vibrant seasonal vegetables in a luscious cream sauce with penne.
# What You Need:
→ Pasta
01 - 12 oz penne or fettuccine
→ Vegetables
02 - 1 medium zucchini, sliced into half-moons
03 - 1 red bell pepper, julienned
04 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
05 - 1 cup broccoli florets
06 - 1 cup snap peas, trimmed
07 - 1 small carrot, thinly sliced
08 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
→ Sauce
09 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
10 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
11 - 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
12 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
13 - Salt and black pepper, to taste
14 - 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
15 - Zest of 1 lemon
→ Garnish
16 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
17 - Additional grated Parmesan, for serving
# How To Make It:
01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water; drain the pasta.
02 - While the pasta cooks, heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
03 - Add the carrots and broccoli to the skillet; sauté for 2 minutes. Add zucchini, bell pepper, and snap peas; cook for 3 to 4 minutes until just tender.
04 - Stir in the cherry tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes more until softened.
05 - Reduce heat to low. Pour in the heavy cream and half of the Parmesan cheese, stirring until the cheese melts and the sauce thickens slightly.
06 - Add lemon zest, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Toss in the drained pasta, adding reserved pasta water as needed to achieve a silky sauce consistency.
07 - Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and chopped basil. Toss until well combined.
08 - Serve immediately, garnished with extra Parmesan and basil if desired.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- It tastes like restaurant pasta but takes barely half an hour from start to finish.
- The sauce clings to every vegetable and strand of pasta without feeling heavy or overdone.
- You can swap vegetables based on what's fresh that week, so it never gets boring.
02 -
- The pasta water is non-negotiable—that starch is what helps the sauce cling to the pasta instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl.
- If you overcook the vegetables first, they'll turn to mush when the pasta simmers in the sauce, so keep them slightly firmer than you think they should be.
- Never let the cream boil once you add it, or it can separate and look broken; keep the heat at medium-low and stir frequently.
03 -
- Grate Parmesan fresh from a block—pre-grated versions contain cellulose that prevents clumping but also prevents the cheese from melting smoothly into the sauce.
- If you're serving vegetarians or vegans, this is naturally vegetarian, and you can make it vegan by swapping butter for olive oil and using nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan (though the flavor will change).