One Pot Pasta Primavera

My son barely waited for me to take the last picture of this One Pot Pasta Primavera before he started digging in and finished it all in a matter of minutes. So, here’s one super simple recipe, ready in less than 30 minutes, all in one pot with fresh vegetables, and it get’s eaten with gusto. Plus I get a “you need to make this more often” in between bites. I think we have a winner, folks. Quick and easy, here’s how it’s done:

First of all, Primavera means ‘pasta with fresh vegetables’. Simple enough. I start with fresh asparagus, broccoli, frozen peas and mushrooms (not shown). Garlic, onion, Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes and basil are going to really add flavor. And a tiny bit of heavy whipping cream binds all the flavors together for a creamy, light broth, plus lemon zest for the right amount of tang. For the pasta, linguine noodles (regular, gluten-free, whole wheat, they all work); thicker than regular spaghetti so they hold more sauce, but still thinner than fettucine so they cook faster. You can use regular spaghetti or experiment with tortellini or ravioli.

Chop up all your ingredients ahead of time, then along with vegetable or chicken broth for your base, throw in some of the veggies (the ones that need a little longer to cook), broccoli, asparagus and mushrooms. Also add in the linguine, onion and garlic, with a good helping of red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Olive oil gets drizzled over everything so the noodles don’t stick and for even more flavor. This all simmers, covered, for a few minutes.

Once the vegetables and noodles are almost ready, six or seven minutes, toss in the peas, fresh basil, Parmesan cheese and some fresh lemon zest. Stir with the cream and continue to simmer a few more minutes until the pasta and vegetables are to your liking.

The sauce isn’t thick but it’s very flavorful and satisfying. Between the dash of cream, the flavor from the basil, onions, lemon zest and garlic, you get a nice, soupy but light tasting broth. And don’t be afraid that red pepper flakes will add too much heat. They add a subtle heat, a perfect addition to all the other flavorful ingredients.

Just before serving, add sun-dried tomatoes in oil for color and even more flavor, plus more Parmesan cheese.

There you have it, perfect for a weeknight dinner or company-worthy fare. One Pot Pasta Primavera is a cross between a year-round soup and a fresh Italian pasta dish. Experiment with some of the ingredients or follow my example. I’m craving it again myself.

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One Pot Pasta Primavera

Course 30 minute one pot meal

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 6

Author Good Dinner Mom

Ingredients 

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• 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 9 ounces linguine uncooked, broken into 3-inch pieces
• 1 small onion halved and thinly sliced
• 1 pound broccoli crowns cut into large florets (about 2 cups)
• 1 1/2 pounds asparagus ends snapped off and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 4 ounces slice white or baby bella mushrooms about 1 cup
• 4 large cloves garlic minced
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes more or less, to taste
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Zest from one lemon
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste
• Sun-dried tomatoes in oil drained (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 tablespoons oil about from the sun-dried tomatoes, for drizzling
• Additional Parmesan cheese for serving

Instructions

• In a large stock pot, add the vegetable broth, linguine, onion, broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt pepper. Add the 2 tablespoons olive oil, drizzled over top to prevent linquine from sticking. Set pot to high heat and let broth come to a boil.
• Once pot starts to boil, give everything a good stir, turn heat to medium and cover. Stir at about the 3 minute mark and then again at the end of the 7 minutes.
• Add the peas, basil, heavy whipping cream, Parmesan and lemon zest. Continue cooking another 1-2 minutes at a simmer until the pasta and vegetables are tender.
• Remove from heat and let sit for a couple of minutes. The sauce will continue to thicken during this time.
• Taste and add additional salt, pepper or red pepper flakes. Divide into serving bowls, top with the sun-dried tomatoes, drizzle with oil from the tomatoes and serve with additional Parmesan cheese.
• Cook's Note: If using gluten-free noodles, do not add to the mixture until broth begins to boil since gluten-free cooks a little faster.