Pasta Primavera

Name: Pasta Primavera
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: European, Italian, Mediterranean
Ingredients: 300g / 10 oz linguine ((fettucine, or other long and flat pasta, Note 1)); 150g / 5oz white mushrooms (, sliced 0.4cm / 1/6" thick (~8 pieces)); 1/2 large zucchini (, cut into 0.5cm / 0.2" rounds (100g/4 oz piece)); 1 bunch broccolini; 1 1/2 cup snow peas ((~10 pieces, 75g/2.5oz)); 1 bunch green asparagus ((~8 to 10)); 1 cup green peas (, defrosted); 10 cherry tomatoes (, cut in half); 2 garlic cloves (, finely minced); 5 tbsp / 75 g unsalted butter; 1 cup thickened / heavy cream ((Note 3)); 1/2 cup Parmigiano reggiano (, finely grated (sub regular parmesan, Note 4)); 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 1/3 cup pasta cooking water (, scoop out just before draining (Note 6)); 1 tsp cooking/kosher salt; 1/4 tsp black pepper; 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves (, finely sliced (Note 5)); 2 tbsp pinenuts (, toasted (Note 7))

Instructions

Prep:15minCook:20min

Recipe video above. This is the Pasta Primavera recipe made famous by Le Cirque restaurant in NYC. It was first published in a magazine in the 1970's! This is an excellent big creamy pasta fix with less guilt thanks to a ton of vegetables. The trick here is timing so that all the vegetables finish cooking to tender-crisp perfection at the same time. Don't skip the pine nuts. It's the signature finishing touch.Counting calories? See note 1 on how to lighten the dish.

Updated at: Thu, 11 Dec 2025 18:11:01 GMT