Now that spring is in full force, I’ve been striving to prepare more spring meals and what could be better than pasta primavera. The Italian and Spanish word for “spring” or “springtime,” primavera translates to “early spring” from its Latin roots. It commonly refers to a style of cooking featuring assorted fresh vegetables and light sauces, embodying the freshness of the season.
Popularized in the 1970s and characterized by a light, often creamy sauce, pasta primavera is a dish – often pasta, but also shrimp or chicken – featuring lightly cooked, fresh vegetables.
The vibrant pasta dish features a medley of fresh, seasonal vegetables like asparagus, peas, zucchini and tomatoes, tossed with pasta in a light sauce, often made with butter, cream, garlic and Parmesan cheese, though variations can be lighter with olive oil and lemon. The key is to cook the vegetables until crisp-tender to highlight their fresh flavor, and the dish is known for its adaptability and colorful presentation.
Most recently, I prepared a pasta primavera with peas, asparagus and kale. I then topped it with some shrimp that I’d marinated in Green Goddess dressing before gently sautéing them. It was healthy and light, yet filling just the same.
There are many different ones from which to choose. Just Google “primavera dishes” and you’ll come up with a variety. There were beautiful, albeit similar, ones at loveandlemons.com, themediterraneandish.com, seriouseats.com, cookingclassy.com and recipetineats.com among others. The beauty of it is you can really use whatever spring vegetables you like and you don’t necessarily have to stick to the ones in the recipe. Give it a try and see what you think. And if you have any delightful spring meals that you recommend, then please share with me!
From foodnetwork.com
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs; add the peas, asparagus and kale to the pot during the last 3 minutes of cooking and stir occasionally. Reserve ½ cup cooking water, then drain the pasta and vegetables.
Meanwhile, combine the olive oil, all but 2 tablespoons of the chives, the lemon zest and juice, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a blender. Add 3 tablespoons cold water and pulse until smooth, scraping down the inside of the blender. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in the tarragon and drizzle with olive oil.
Add the pasta and vegetables to the chive puree along with ¼ cup of the reserved cooking water and half of the cheese; season with salt and pepper. Toss well to coat, adding more cooking water to loosen, if necessary. Serve topped with the remaining cheese and chives.
My notes:
I used English peas in place of the snap peas because I already had some in the freezer.
I omitted the fresh tarragon because I’m not a big fan of tarragon.
I didn’t want to drag out and dirty up the blender for such a small amount of sauce, so I just mixed it up in a Pyrex measuring cup with my immersion blender. It worked perfectly and there were fewer things to clean.
