Creamy Pasta Primavera (Printer-friendly)
A vibrant pasta dish with fresh vegetables and a rich, creamy sauce, perfect for a colorful meal.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Pasta
01 - 12 ounces penne or fettuccine pasta
→ Vegetables
02 - 1 medium zucchini, sliced into half-moons
03 - 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
04 - 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
05 - 1 medium carrot, julienned
06 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
07 - 1 cup sugar snap peas, trimmed
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 - 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
13 - Zest of 1 lemon
14 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
→ Garnish
15 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
16 - Additional grated Parmesan cheese, as desired
# How to Make It:
01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, drain, and set aside.
02 - Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
03 - Add zucchini, red and yellow bell peppers, and carrot to the skillet. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until beginning to soften.
04 - Stir in sugar snap peas and halved cherry tomatoes. Cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes until tender but still vibrant.
05 - Reduce heat to low. Stir in heavy cream and lemon zest, simmering gently for 2 to 3 minutes to meld flavors.
06 - Add the cooked pasta to the skillet. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese and toss to combine, adding reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce.
07 - Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Remove from heat and fold in chopped fresh basil.
08 - Plate immediately, garnished with extra Parmesan and basil if desired.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It comes together in under 40 minutes, which means weeknight dinner without the stress.
- Fresh vegetables stay bright and slightly crisp instead of turning into mush, so you actually taste each one.
- The creamy sauce tastes indulgent but doesn't require any heavy cooking techniques or special skills.
- It's flexible enough to use whatever vegetables look good that day, so you're never locked into a rigid ingredient list.
02 -
- Reserve your pasta water before you drain it—the starch in that water is what makes your sauce coat properly instead of sliding off into a puddle.
- Add cream at low heat and keep the temperature gentle, because high heat can turn cream grainy and broken, ruining the whole delicate sauce.
- Don't use pre-shredded Parmesan because it contains anti-caking agents that prevent it from melting smoothly into the cream.
- Taste the pasta two minutes before the package suggests it's done, because carryover cooking happens in the skillet and you don't want mushy noodles.
03 -
- The skillet size matters—use one large enough that vegetables have room to brown instead of steaming, and avoid crowding them in during the sauté.
- Grate fresh Parmesan yourself using the small holes of a box grater or a microplane, because those shreds melt into the sauce instead of clumping up.
- Don't let the cream simmer aggressively or it will split and separate; gentle heat keeps it silky.