Light summertime vegetable Pasta Primavera, made with zucchini, spinach, asparagus, tomatoes, onions, and garlic, is a quick and easy dinner ready in less than 30 minutes.
Pasta Primavera
Yesterday was my 25th birthday! Not really, I wish. I thought today it might be fun to share a recipe that was popular the year I was born, but I also wanted it to be a light summertime dinner recipe instead of the creamier version of Pasta Primavera. Today is the first day of meteorological Summer, after all. I'm not going to tell you how old I am just yet, you can guess.
I know I don't share a ton of healthy recipes, but I make simple pasta dishes like this Pasta Primavera all the time with whatever I happen to have in the fridge. That's what I love about recipes like this, you can just add in what you like and take out what you don't. Lot's of Pasta Primavera recipes have peas and broccoli in them, but I don't really like peas (except in pea soup and mixed together dishes like Chicken Pot Pie), and my husband can't do broccoli unless it's really well cooked, so I don't use them here.
In this recipe, you will want the vegetables just barely cooked. If you cook them too long they become soggy and lose that fresh, summertime taste. Plus, if you cook the tomatoes too long they will burst and I don't know about you, but I don't like that too much. I made this Pasta Primavera with whole grain linguine, but almost any kind of pasta will be just fine.
42. That's how old I turned yesterday, in case you were curious. Pasta Primavera was one of the most popular recipes of 1975.
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Pasta Primavera
Ingredients
- 1 medium zucchini, cut in half length-wise then sliced thin
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, unsliced
- 1 cup thinly sliced asparagus (about 6-7 stalks)
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 ½ cups chopped fresh spinach
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried basil (or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh)
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup fat free low sodium chicken broth low sodium chicken broth
- 12 ounces whole grain pasta (linguine, penne, thin spaghetti)
- 1 cup freshly shredded Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Instructions
- Slice and chop all of the vegetables while the water for the pasta comes to a boil in a large pot. Salt the water well, add the pasta, and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside in the cooking pot until the vegetables are cooked.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil and butter in a deep frying pan over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the zucchini, asparagus, and onion. Cook, stirring often until the onions are just translucent. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate. Add the spinach and garlic to the pan, stir well, then add in the tomatoes. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the tomatoes are heated.
- Add the vegetables and chicken broth to the pot, gently stir in the cheese. Heat over medium heat, stirring, until the cheese is melted. Serve with additional shredded Parmigiano Reggiano if desired.
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