The perfect summer pasta dish!
This pasta primavera is the perfect summer pasta dish. It uses some of my favorite summer veggies and is so light and flavorful. It comes together so quickly and uses a minimal amount of ingredients. The best thing about this pasta dish is that you can use it with many different types of veggies, depending what you have on hand. Therefore, this dish is a perfect “empty my fridge” type of dinner.
The Veggies
In my version of this well-known dish, I use zucchini, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, and asparagus. The tomatoes are somewhat crucial to the sauce for this recipe, but the other veggies can be mixed up depending on what you have. Some other veggies ideas: broccoli, green beans, spinach, corn, and peas.
The Pasta
You will most likely get conflicting results when looking up what pasta to use in a pasta primavera. I’m here to tell you that it’s totally personal preference. Some people really like short pasta while others love long pasta like spaghetti. While I love short pasta for some dishes, this dish I prefer a long pasta. Linguine works great because it holds the sauce a bit better than a traditional spaghetti.
If you’re a short pasta fan, some pastas that would work great in a primavera would be: fusilli, penne, or farfalle. You can also use gluten free pasta!
The Sauce
The sauce in this dish is not really a true sauce, but that’s what keeps this recipe so light! It uses a combination of olive oil, tomato juices, and spices. Many primavera recipes have a bit of a creamy sauce, but my olive oil/tomato sauce leaves this recipe dairy free and super light. If you don’t have tomato to add to this recipe, I recommend adding a little butter to the pasta before adding it to the veggies or adding some extra olive oil so it doesn’t become too dry.
Simple Pasta Primavera
Course: DinnerCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy4
servings10
minutes20
minutesA light, simple pasta primavera highlighting your favorite summer veggies.
Ingredients
2 T olive oil
1 medium sized zucchini, halved slices
1 large bell pepper, bite sized pieces
About 25 cherry tomatoes
10-12 asparagus, cut in thirds
8-10 oz linguine (or pasta of choice)
Parmesan cheese (optional)
- Spices (to taste)
Pepper, Salt, Basil, Oregano, Onion Powder Garlic Powder
Directions
- Heat a large saute pan (or wok) with the olive oil over medium-medium/high heat.
- Add your veggies to pan and any spices you want to add. Mix well, then cover and cook for 10 minutes. Uncover and stir. Using a spoon or spatula, squish tomatoes until they burst. Cook for another 5-10 minutes.
- While veggies are cooking, bring a medium sized pot of water to boil. Add pasta and cook according to package.
- Drain pasta and add to cooked veggies. Stir together, adding more spices as needed.
- Serve and enjoy! (Add optional parmesan cheese on top of serving)
Notes
- I would use either a red, yellow, or orange bell pepper
- To make gluten free, just use gluten free pasta!
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