Pasta primavera is a celebration of spring vegetables in a bowl. This quick, one-pot, pasta is as customizable as it is delicious. Feel free to swap in your favorite in-season vegetables—primavera means spring!—to make this pasta your own!
You can think of this pasta as a template because of how customizable it is. It’s designed as a recipe to showcase spring vegetables, but you can swap the vegetables listed for any of your favorites or what you have on hand. Keep the vegetables all about the same size so they cook evenly in the same pan, so if you need to cut them up a bit, that’s fine. It’s just a little bit of prep.
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How to customize pasta primavera
- If you eat meat, you can add chicken, salmon, or shrimp–they are the proteins that taste best with primavera. But you can use ground turkey/beef, or chicken sausage if you want. Chickpeas and white beans would work as well.
- Other spring veggies include shelled peas and snap peas are great here.
- Feel free to swap red onion for shallots if you don’t have any or prefer it.
- You can also add more veggies such as mushrooms, spinach, kale, cauliflower, green beans, zucchini, or yellow squash.
- This dish is best with a short pasta like penne, fusilli or rigatoni, but any type of pasta will work if you need to use what you have on hand.
- Make it gluten free with a rice or corn based pasta; make it gluten free and protein-rich with a chickpea pasta, but keep it mind it will taste a bit more nutty with a chickpea pasta.
- Red pepper flakes are optional; skip them if you don’t like heat!
- The capers add a salty tang to this pasta, but that can easily be swapped for your favorite olives or left out entirely.
- If you don’t have cherry or grape tomatoes, you could chop up larger tomatoes (remove the seeds) or use sun-dried instead.
Related: How Long Do Meals Last: A Quick Cheat Sheet
How is primavera sauce made?
The sauce used in pasta primavera is super simple which keeps the dish light and delicious! The main ingredients of our primavera sauce are butter, Parmesan, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. For a creamier and more classic primavera sauce, you can add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cream or to taste.
Related: 12 One-Pan Dinner Ideas You Can Also Meal Prep
How to double or add more volume to pasta primavera
To double this meal, simply double the ingredients. You will probably need to cook in batches or in two pans at once. To add more volume to this meal, I recommend doubling up on broccoli or adding in a protein like chicken or white beans.
How do I store pasta primavera?
This meal can last in the fridge for up to four days and is freezer-friendly. It’s best when reheated in the microwave or on the stove. I recommend adding a splash of water to the container before reheating and/or reheating the container, partially covered, to revive the pasta.
If you’re going to freeze and reheat it, we recommend letting it thaw in the fridge first and then gently reheating it on the stovetop with some water and butter to help recreate the sauce and keep it from sticking to the pan.
Happy Prepping!
Related: How To Keep Produce Fresh: Storage Tips For Fruits & Veggies
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Meal Prep Pasta Primavera
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter or olive oil
- 1 shallot diced
- 8 oz short pasta such as used penne
- 3 cup water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 head broccoli cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 bunch asparagus cut into 1-inch pieces
- 14 oz can of artichoke hearts drained and chopped
- 10 oz cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 tbsp capers optional, or chopped olives
- 2 cloves garlic minced or grated
- 1 lemon juiced
- 2 TBSP butter
- 1/2 cup Parmesan
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
Prepare the Shallots
- In a big skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the shallot and a pinch of salt, and cook for 2-3 minutes until the shallot has softened and darkened slightly in color.
Cook the Pasta
- Add the pasta, water, and a bit more salt to the skillet. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil, uncovered. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium. Stir the pasta frequently to prevent it from sticking. Continue cooking for 5-7 minutes, until most of the water is absorbed and the pasta is almost al dente.
Add the Vegetables
- Stir in the broccoli and asparagus. Keep cooking, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are bright green and tender, and the pasta is fully al dente, about 3-4 more minutes.
Make the Sauce
- At this point, there should be a small amount of water left in the skillet to help create the sauce. Add the artichoke hearts, tomatoes, capers, garlic, 1/2 the lemon juice, butter, and Parmesan cheese. Stir everything together with a sturdy spatula, ensuring the butter and Parmesan melt into the sauce evenly.
- Taste the pasta, vegetables, and sauce and add salt and pepper. Add more lemon or capers if necessary, and add red pepper flakes if you like heat.
Divide for Meal Preps
- Transfer the pasta to the containers with a large spoon. Once all the pasta is divided, spoon in any leftover sauce into the meal prep containers equally. If there is a lot of extra sauce, put some in a separate container to use to add to the pasta when you reheat it. Once the pasta has cooled, put the lids on and transfer to the fridge. That's it!
Shannon says
This recipe was incredibly hard to follow, because of this I had to go rogue. Definitely recommend rewording your instructions so they are clear and easy to understand.
Workweek Lunch says
Hi Shannon – thank you for the feedback. We went ahead and retested and updated the instructions. Take a look and let me know what you think