Pasta Primavera

This restaurant-quality pasta primavera has a delicious herb cream sauce with penne pasta and a ton of fresh vegetables. There's no better way to get your family to eat their veggies!

Prep Time25

Cook Time20

Total Time45

Course: Main Course, Pasta

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings: people

Calories: 433kcal

Author: Stephanie

Ingredients

Sauce

1 ¼ cups chicken broth
1 ¼ cups half and half
½ chicken bouillon cube
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce
¾ teaspoons EACH: dried parsley, basil, oregano, mustard powder
1 pinch red pepper flakes

Vegetables and Pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups broccoli florets cut into bite-sized pieces
½ cup carrots julienned
½ cup red onion sliced
1 cup red bell pepper sliced
½ zucchini cut into chunks (equal to 1 ½ cups)
½ cup frozen peas
1 cup cherry tomatoes halved or quartered
salt/pepper to taste
3 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic minced
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
½ lb. ziti
2 tablespoons lemon juice

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Combine the sauce ingredients in a large measuring cup with a spout and set aside. Measure out remaining ingredients before beginning.
Begin boiling a large pot of water for the pasta. Once a boil is reached, stir in ½ tablespoon salt.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli, onions, carrots, and bell peppers and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the zucchini, peas, and tomatoes. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Add the butter and garlic in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the flour and stir continuously for 2 minutes.
Add the sauce mixture (from step 1) in small splashes, stirring continuously. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
Cover partially while you cook the pasta to al dente according to package instructions. Drain once cooked.
Reduce heat of the sauce to low and gradually sprinkle in the parmesan cheese until combined, then stir in the lemon juice.
Add the drained pasta and stir to combine. Add the vegetables back and toss to combine and heat through.
Remove from heat and serve with freshly cracked pepper and fresh lemon slices.

Notes

Pro Tips:

This recipe makes a lot of sauce, which is great for coating all of those vegetables as well. Feel free to use up to ¾ lb. pasta instead of ½ if preferred.
This recipe uses 7 cups of vegetables, feel free to utilize whatever veggies you have on hand.
Other vegetable options include: Squash, Asparagus, Cauliflower, Mushrooms, Spinach, Eggplant, Green Beans, and Corn.
Pasta options include: Penne, Ziti, Farfalle, and Fusilli.
Vegetable broth can be used instead of chicken broth to make this vegetarian.
Grate the cheese from a block for the best consistency and taste. Packaged grated cheese contains cellulose, which prevents it from melting as well. I use Belgioioso Parmesan.
Be sure to add the cheese and lemon juice over low heat. If the heat is too high, the dairy can separate and create a grainy consistency.
The hot sauce in this recipe is a flavor enhancer that doesn't make it spicy. I use Frank's Hot Sauce.
📘 Find this recipe on page 186 of my 2nd cookbook, Let's Eat!

Storage:

Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave (I use "melt" mode which is lower power), or in a makeshift double boiler on the stovetop, which is an even better way to reheat.
Cream sauces don't always reheat quite back to their original consistency, but this one comes close.

Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. There are 6 servings in this recipe.

Nutrition