Pasta Primavera with Broccoli and Asparagus is the ultimate way to bring fresh, vibrant flavors to your table in under an hour, and my method guarantees your vegetables won't be mushy! This simple but delicious, veggie-packed dish combines tender-crisp asparagus, broccoli, and a light, garlic wine sauce for a meal that tastes like spring in every bite!
Looking for more delicious, easy pasta recipes with vegetables? Try our Pasta with Peas and Pancetta or Italian Summer Pasta with Zucchini.
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Why This Recipe
The beginning of spring means Pasta Primavera. This dish is a wonderful way to use all of the seasonal spring veggies. The one thing that makes this recipe different from the rest is frying vegetables separately. Frying the mushrooms first, then the zucchini, will make sure you get crisp, delicious vegetables that don't turn into mush because you cook them all in the same pan at the same time.
The key to a perfect primavera is making sure that all of your vegetables are not just steamed! This recipe also uses a light olive oil-based sauce instead of cream sauces that more Americanized versions might use. Lighter sauces like this are perfect for the Spring.
Pasta primavera is one of my favorite Italian dishes because it combines my carbs and my veggies all in one. Serve with Italian chicken cutlets or Classic Pork Chop Milanese to complete the meal.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Vegetables- Primavera is usually an assortment of seasonal Spring vegetables. Typically, it includes mushrooms, tomatoes, zucchini, and asparagus, but you can choose the vegetables you prefer
- Peas- I like to use peas in my recipe, but you have to use frozen peas. Canned peas will be an absolute disaster of mush.
- White Wine- I choose a crisp sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio.
- Cherry tomatoes- I prefer cherry tomatoes over grape tomatoes in almost all scenarios, but definitely for this recipe.
- Pasta- Primavera is a light sauce and perfect for different pastas. I like to use bite-sized pasta like penne or farfalle, so that I can get a bite of the vegetables and pasta in one bite. Some prefer linguine or spaghetti with a light sauce like primavera or Linguine with Clams.
*Please see the recipe card below for more information on the ingredients.
How to Make Pasta Primavera with Broccoli and Asparagus
In a step-by-step fashion, you can get a really delicious and perfectly textured pasta primavera. I always warn people that throwing all your vegetables in the pan at the same time will turn into a mushy, watery pasta. Follow the steps below for the BEST Pasta Primavera with broccoli and asparagus.
Step 1: Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add your sliced baby bella mushrooms. Let them sit undisturbed for 3 minutes, then stir. Mushrooms contain a lot of water, so you don't need oil to fry them. Brown the mushrooms (as shown in photo 1) for 3-5 more minutes, then remove them and set them aside.
Step 2: Add 2 tablespoon olive oil to the pan. Add the zucchini in a single layer to the pan (as shown in photo 2). Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove them and set them aside with the mushrooms.
Step 3: In the same saucepan, add 2 tablespoon olive oil. Toss in the broccoli and asparagus and saute for 5 minutes or until vibrant green. While sauteing the vegetables, boil a large pot of water and cook the pasta until al dente.
Step 4: Add the garlic and saute for 1-2 more minutes or until the garlic is fragrant.
Step 5: Add the cherry tomatoes and salt. Simmer for 5 minutes until the cherry tomatoes begin to soften.
Step 6: Stir in the frozen peas.
Step 7: Add the white wine and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Step 8: Stir in the pasta water and the butter. Stir and lower the temperature to medium-low.
Step 9: Strain the pasta and add it to the pan with the vegetables. Stir in the zucchini and mushrooms until the pasta is well combined. Let the sauce simmer for a few minutes until it begins to thicken slightly.
Remove from the heat and top with parmesan cheese! Serve pasta primavera with your favorite proteins this Spring, like Chicken Spiedini, Grilled Stuffed Pork Chops, or My Big Fat Greek Chicken Burger.
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Pro-Tips
- Always use frozen peas. Canned peas will immediately turn to mush.
- The broccoli florets will need to be chopped into small pieces so that they soften by being sauteed.
- Fry mushrooms and zucchini separately from the rest of the dish. This will get a nice golden brown crust on both vegetables that won't be achievable if you mix everything.
- When you add the pasta to the pan, the sauce will seem thin. Continue to simmer for a few minutes, and it will start to thicken. It won't reach the perfect thickness until you remove the pan from the heat.
Serving Suggestions
- Italian Chicken Dishes- This dish is perfect to serve with classic Italian chicken dishes like Restaurant-Style Chicken Francese, Chicken Saltimbocca, or The BEST Chicken Piccata.
- Other Proteins- Pasta primavera is perfect to serve with some other healthy proteins like Italian Cast Iron Pork Tenderloin or Cast Iron Boneless Pork Chops.
- Sandwiches- Serve this pasta primavera as a side dish with your favorite Spring sandwiches and burgers like Eggplant Caprese Grilled Cheese, Gruyere Grilled Cheese, or a Bacon Blue Cheese Burger.
FAQs about Pasta Primavera
Any vegetable can be put in pasta primavera because primavera just means Spring and the goal is just to fill the dish with seasonal vegetables. Some typical vegetables are asparagus, broccoli, and mushrooms.
You can add cream to pasta primavera, but it is very heavy, and I prefer to keep it light. Olive oil, lemon, Parmesan cheese, and pasta water create enough of a sauce that you won't need the cream.
The vegetables in pasta primavera cook for different amounts of time and have different water contents. If you cook them all at the same time, you will end up with a bunch of overcooked vegetables, especially mushrooms and zucchini. The best way to cook them is to cook them separately, as shown above.
Yes, cook your protein first, then combine it with the pasta at the end with your pasta.
More Vegetable Pasta Recipes
Please leave a comment and star rating below in the recipe card! I love to hear what you think of our recipes. Feel free to tag us on Instagram @vindelgiudice.
Pasta Primavera with Broccoli and Asparagus
Equipment
- 1 large saucepan
- 1 large pot
Ingredients
- ½ lb pasta
- 6 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 1 small zucchini, sliced and halved
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 1 head broccoli chopped into florets
- 1 bunch asparagus, chopped in thirds
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- ⅔ cup white wine
- ½ cup pasta water
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
Instructions
- Heat a large saucepan to medium heat. Add your sliced baby bella mushrooms. Let them sit undisturbed for 3 minutes then stir. Mushrooms contain a lot of water, so you don't need oil to fry them. Brown the mushrooms for 3-5 more minutes, then remove them and set them aside.
- Add 2 tablespoon olive oil to the pan. Add the zucchini in a single layer to the pan. Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove them and set them aside with the mushrooms.
- In a large pot, bring water to a boil (make sure to salt the water). Add pasta once boiling. Boil until right before al dente. Save 1 cup of pasta water.
- In the same saucepan, add 2 tablespoon olive oil. Toss in the broccoli and asparagus and saute for 5 minutes or until a vibrant green. Then add the garlic and saute for 1-2 more minutes or until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the cherry tomatoes and salt. Simmer for 5 minutes until the cherry tomatoes begin to soften. Then add the frozen peas until they are warmed through. Pour in the white wine and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the pasta water and butter and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Strain the pasta and add to the pan with the vegetables. Stir in the zucchini and mushrooms until the pasta is well combined and the sauce is simmering again. Let the sauce simmer for a few minutes until it begins to thicken slightly.
- Remove the pan from the heat and serve with parmesan cheese.
Video
Notes
- Always use frozen peas. Canned peas will immediately turn to mush.
- The broccoli florets will need to be chopped into small pieces so that they soften by being sauteed.
- Fry mushrooms and zucchini separately from the rest of the dish. This will get a nice golden brown crust on both vegetables that won't be achievable if you mix everything together.
- When you add the pasta to the pan, the sauce will seem thin. Continue to simmer for a few minutes and it will start to thicken. It won't reach the perfect thickness until you remove the pan from the heat.
Vinny says
This is a delicious veggie filled pasta that is grate for a weeknight meal! Hope you enjoy!