This Weeknight Pasta Primavera combines tender pasta and crisp, fresh veggies in a rich, creamy garlic sauce for a deliciously satisfying family dinner. Better than takeout!
Our family loves pasta and this weeknight pasta dish is one of our favorites! It is such an easy weeknight meal to throw together without much fuss. The addition of fresh veggies into the mix makes this feel like a lighter and brighter summer pasta, even in the winter. The veggies cook right in the pasta water as the pasta finishes up cooking.
Sometimes it is hard to get our families to be excited about vegetables but the inclusion of zucchini, asparagus and frozen peas in this recipe adds a great dimension to the rich pasta and my kids (and husband) hardly even notice them. The trick to this recipe is to have the prep work of cutting up the veggies done beforehand so that putting everything together is quick and easy!
How to make Weeknight Pasta Primavera
Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. In the meantime, melt the butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet until foamy. Add the chopped onion and the quartered mushrooms and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally until onions are slightly browned and translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Stir in the tomatoes and cream. Increase the heat to high and bring the sauce mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.
As the sauce cooks, add the fettuccine noodles to the now boiling water and cook, stirring often, until pasta begins to soften, about 8 minutes.
Once the sauce has hit the boiling point, remove it from the heat and set it aside. It is not necessary to cover it. It won’t have enough time to cool down.
After the pasta has cooked for 8 minutes, and without removing the pasta from the boiling water, add the asparagus, zucchini and frozen peas to the boiling pasta water. Cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Drain the water from the pasta and vegetables and then return them to the pot.
Add sauce mixture to the pasta and veggies then add the shredded Parmesan cheese, lemon juice and basil.
Stir until the fettuccine noodles are coated in sauce and the veggies are well distributed throughout the mixture.
Serve immediately, sprinkled with fresh parsley and fresh ground black pepper if desired. Enjoy!
Other Weeknight Recipes You May Enjoy:
Easy Instant Pot Mongolian Beef – This is a delicious take on traditional Mongolian Beef that takes a fraction of the time and has delicious results!
Weeknight Shrimp Portofino – A light pasta dish featuring shrimp and marinated artichokes, perfect weeknight fare.
Simple Weeknight Meatloaf – Simple and easy comfort food that is a throwback to childhood and a piece of cake to throw together on a weeknight. You can make it the night before and just pop it in the oven too!
Weeknight Chili – This is a basic chili recipe with few ingredients but sometimes uncomplicated is the most delicious!
Spaghetti Pie – With Italian sausage and spinach hidden inside this is an unexpectedly good (and super easy!) weeknight creation that the entire family will love.
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Weeknight Pasta Primavera
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 package whole mushrooms about 8 oz, quartered
- salt & pepper to taste
- 2 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 1 can diced tomatoes 14 oz
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 box dried fettuccine noodles 12 oz
- 1 pound asparagus cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 medium zucchini cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp dried basil leaves or 10 fresh, cut in chiffonade
Instructions
- Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil.
- In the meantime, melt butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet until foamy. Add the chopped onion and the quartered mushrooms and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Cook for 5-8 minutes until onions are slightly browned and translucent. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and cream.
- Increase heat to high and bring the sauce mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Once boiling, remove from heat and set aside.
- As the sauce cooks, add the fettuccine noodles to the now boiling water and cook until pasta begins to soften, about 8 minutes.
- Without removing pasta, add asparagus, zucchini and frozen peas to boiling pasta water. Cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Drain the pasta and vegetables and then return to the pot. Add sauce mixture to the pasta and veggies.
- Next, add the shredded Parmesan cheese, lemon juice and basil to the pot. Stir until the fettuccine noodles are coated in sauce and the veggies are well distributed.
- Serve immediately, sprinkled with fresh parsley and fresh ground black pepper if desired. Enjoy!
* The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.
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