Classic Pasta Primavera Recipe

Name: Classic Pasta Primavera
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 heaping cup broccoli florets; 4 asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 1-inch segments; 1/2 cup snow peas; 1/2 pound angel hair pasta or spaghetti; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 1 small zucchini, diced; 3 Roma or other paste tomatoes, seeded and diced; 1/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock; 1/2 cup heavy cream; 1/2 cup peas, fresh or frozen; 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese; 12 basil leaves, chopped; Salt

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Pasta primavera. It’s very name evokes the 1980s, nouveau cuisine, and bad food clichés. Done in its classic form, which is believed to be invented by the chefs at Le Cirque restaurant in New York City in the late 1970s, primavera is a riot of vegetation doused in butter, cream and lots of Parmesan cheese.

Our version is a pared down rendition of this classic, simplified and lightened up for more modern tastes.

Why resurrect pasta primavera at all?

Because despite all the jokes, it was – and is – a good dish. Any of us who ate in high style in the late 1970s, or really anywhere in the 1980s, has eaten it at some point in our lives.

I ate it a lot. My mother first had it at Le Cirque sometime around 1979, and loved it so much she learned how to make it.

The Best Pasta for Pasta Primavera

My mother made her primavera with angel hair pasta, which is a gossamer version of spaghetti that cooks in seconds. It has a lovely mouthfeel and really does make the cream and cheese feel lighter when you eat it.

But, angel hair congeals into a gob in minutes, so don’t make the pasta until the sauce is done, and don’t wait to serve it—the angel hair must go from pot to plate at once.

Angel hair, also called capellini, is readily available in most supermarkets. Can you use regular old spaghetti? You bet. That’s what they used at Le Cirque, after all.

Overhead view of primavera pasta in a bowl with a navy linen underneath. — Michelle Becker

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Watch This Yummy Pasta Primavera Recipe

Store for Later

Pasta primavera should stay fresh, refrigerated in an airtight container, for several days. To reheat it, warm it in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Alternatively, you can reheat it in the microwave. Stir in a bit more water to loosen the sauce, if necessary.

More Classic Pasta Recipes to Try!

Classic Pasta Primavera

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 30 mins

Servings 4 servings

If your sauce turns out too thick or the cheese clumps together, try stirring in a bit more water or stock.

1 heaping cup broccoli florets
4 asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 1-inch segments
1/2 cup snow peas
1/2 pound angel hair pasta or spaghetti
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small zucchini, diced
3 Roma or other paste tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup peas, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
12 basil leaves, chopped
Kosher salt

Blanch the broccoli, asparagus, snow peas:

Get a large pot of water boiling. Salt it well. It should taste like the sea. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Boil the broccoli for 1 minute.

Add the asparagus and boil another minute. Add the snow peas and boil for 30 more seconds.

Remove all the vegetables and plunge them into the ice water. Once they’re cool, drain in a colander.

If you want, you can boil your pasta in the same pot you boiled the vegetables in, or you can start over and boil new water; I use the same water.

Michelle Becker
Sauté the zucchini and garlic, then add the tomatoes:

In a large sauté pan, heat the butter over medium-high heat. When the butter is hot, add the garlic and zucchini and sauté 1 minute.

Add the diced tomatoes and sauté another 2 minutes, stirring often.

Michelle Becker
Add the stock, cream, blanched vegetables, and peas:

Pour in the chicken or vegetable stock and turn the heat to high to bring it to a boil.

Add the cream and toss in all the vegetables you boiled, plus the peas. Stir to combine.

Turn the heat down until the cream-chicken broth mixture is just simmering, not boiling.

Michelle Becker
Add the Parmesan:

Add the Parmesan cheese and stir to combine. If the sauce seems too thick—it should be pretty thick, but not gloppy—add some more chicken broth, cream or water.

Michelle Becker
Boil the pasta:

If you are using spaghetti, you will want to start cooking it before you begin sautéing the garlic and zucchini. Angel hair will only need 1 to 2 minutes to cook, vermicelli or spaghetti can take 8 to 12 minutes.

Michelle Becker
Toss the pasta and serve:

As soon as the pasta is done, transfer it with tongs into the sauce and stir to combine.

Add the basil now, and taste for salt. Add salt if needed. Grind some black pepper over everything and serve immediately.

You will want a dry white wine with this, ideally a dry French white.

Michelle Becker

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
411	Calories
27g	Fat
33g	Carbs
12g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	411
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 27g	34%
Saturated Fat 16g	81%
Cholesterol 75mg	25%
Sodium 429mg	19%
Total Carbohydrate 33g	12%
Dietary Fiber 5g	19%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 12g
Vitamin C 55mg	274%
Calcium 189mg	15%
Iron 2mg	13%
Potassium 654mg	14%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.