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Vegetable Primavera is a fresh, veggie-loaded pasta tossed in a light lemony sauce made without cream. It's colorful, satisfying, and comes together in about 30 minutes, which makes it perfect for busy weeknights.
Looking for more quick and flavorful pasta recipes that skip the cream but keep the flavor? Don't miss pesto pasta, lemon garlic pasta and white bean pasta.
Kristen's Keys for Making Pasta Primavera
Keeping the following tips in mind while preparing this Vegetable Primavera helps ensure the best results.
- Salt your pasta water generously. Think 1-2 tablespoons of salt for a large pot of water. This will season the pasta from the inside out so the whole dish tastes balanced.
- Save the pasta water. Reserve at least ½ cup before draining. The starch in that water helps create a silky sauce without adding cream.
- Don't overcook the vegetables. Sauté just until crisp-tender. You want bright color and a little bite, not soft and dull.
- Finish with a lemon. The zest and juice of a fresh lemon will wake up the dish, making the veggies taste vibrant and the sauce taste light and bright.
Notes on Ingredients
You can vary the type of pasta or vegetable as desired. Use my suggestions as a guideline and go from there to make this dish your own.
- Pasta: I prefer using rotini, penne, or bowtie pasta, as they are about the same size as the chunks of veggies and have enough surface area for the sauce to cling to. However, you can opt to use any variety of pasta you like, even a gluten-free variety.
- Vegetables: Use any seasonal veggies your family enjoys or you have on hand. I recommend a combination of asparagus, bell peppers, broccoli florets, zucchini, sugar snap peas, and grape tomatoes. Mushrooms, peas, carrots, or green beans are good alternative options.
- Shallots: Opt for a shallot over an onion, as the shallot will flavor the dish, without overwhelming the vegetables.
- White Wine: Adding dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio, is optional, but will add an incredible depth of acidity and flavor to the primavera. Just be sure to use a wine suitable for drinking, not a cooking wine, as the flavor is not the same. Feel free to replace with additional broth if you don't care to use wine.
- Broth: Vegetable broth is the obvious choice, but chicken stock can be used if you are not vegetarian.
- Seasonings: Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper bring the dish together perfectly.
- Lemon: A fresh lemon is ESSENTIAL for the primavera sauce. The zest and juice of the lemon give this dish a bright, fresh finish and make it memorable.
- Parmesan: Optional. Omit if you are dairy-free.
How to Make Vegetable Primavera
Let me walk you through the steps of preparing this vegetarian primavera, so that it can be on your table in under 30 minutes.
Step One: Cook Pasta
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Once boiling, stir in pasta of your choice, along with a tablespoon of salt. Let cook, stirring often, for 1-2 minute less than the package directions state.
Step Two: Sauté Vegetables while the Pasta Cooks
Heat a bit of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add diced shallot, asparagus, broccoli, zucchini, bell peppers, snap peas, and sauté for 4-5 minutes, or until the veggies are slightly softened, but still bright in color. Stir in garlic and cook just 30 seconds more, just to lightly toast and enhance the flavor
Step Three: Deglaze Pan
Add in the wine and let cook while you scrape up any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Those little caramelized bits are pure flavor.
Step Four: Add Pasta
At this point, the pasta should be fully cooked. Before draining, scoop out about ½ cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta and add to the skillet.
Add about ¼ of the reserved liquid and vegetable broth to the skillet, and toss to coat. Cook briefly, until warmed through and the pasta is fully al dente, adding additional cooking liquid to thin the sauce if needed.
Step Five: Finish With Flavor
Turn off the heat and add lemon zest, fresh lemon juice, and freshly grated parmesan. The lemon wakes up the whole dish, while the cheese adds just enough richness to make it satisfying, without feeling heavy.
More Flavor-Packed Pasta Recipes
Vegetable Primavera
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound penne or bow-tie pasta
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small shallot, diced
- 1 small zucchini, cut into ½-inch chunks
- 1 large yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 cup asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 cups broccoli florets, chopped
- 1 cup sugar snap peas
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- ¼ cup dry white wine, or additional broth
- ¼ cup low-sodium vegetable broth, or chicken stock
- ¼ cup reserved pasta water, + more as needed
- kosher salt and pepper, to taste
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- ½ cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 large lemon, zest and juice
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Once boiling, heavily salt the water, add the pasta and 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 minutes less than the package directions. Once the pasta is just shy of being al dente, drain off the cooking water, reserving ½ cup of the cooking liquid for the sauce.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is heated, add in the shallot, zucchini, bell pepper, asparagus, broccoli, sugar snap peas, and 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning. Saute for 4-5 minutes, or until vegetables are just crisp-tender. Add in minced garlic and toast briefly for just 30 seconds.
- Add ¼ cup dry white wine (or additional broth) and let cook for 1 minute, while scraping up any browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
- Add the cooked pasta, ¼ cup low-sodium vegetable broth, and ¼ cup reserved pasta water to the skillet and toss to coat. Continue to simmer over medium heat until warmed through, just a minute or two. If you feel the pasta is dry, add additional cooking liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed.
- Turn off the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the grape tomatoes, ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese and zest and juice of 1 large lemon. Toss to coat.
- Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and additional parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published in 2018 but has been updated in 2026.
This vegetable pasta is so comfy and hearty! The vegetables are crispy yet tender and I love the hint of lemon on the pasta.
Thanks for sharing, Sharina!
Love that I was able to use so many vegetables I have grown in my garden. It turned out so delicious. Will make again!
Oh wonderful, Abby! Thanks for sharing!