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One Pot Pasta Primavera Recipe + VIDEO

written by Ashley Fehr

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3.67 from 3 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 5

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Published on September 2, 2015 / Last updated on February 20, 2023

This One Pot Pasta Primavera is a creamy, veggie loaded dinner recipe that comes together easily with only 7 ingredients! With spinach, peas and carrots, or add your favorites — mushrooms, zucchini, tomatoes. Includes step by step recipe video.

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close up image of one pot pasta primavera in black skillet with carrots and spinach

Now, maybe you all know already that I’m not a huge fan of veggies. But when they’re tossed in creamy Fettucine? I’m down with that.

I like to make a lot of my dinner recipes healthier by adding in finely chopped or shredded veggies to boost the nutritional value, add flavor and cut down on calories. In this one pot pasta, the veggies really are the star — and you can use any that need to be used from your garden!

Because this recipe was one of my collection of one pot pastas that I created with my Ultimate Mix and Match Guide to One Pot Pastas, I wanted to leave my notes here in the post as I had them originally, just so you have the most success with the recipe!

But because it’s 30 Minute Thursday today, you will also find a collection of easy and delicious 30 minute meals from friends down below — because it’s summer and who wants to spend all of their time cooking?!?

Pasta:

I wanted to use a long noodle for this one, and I also wanted to experiment with white pasta, so I used regular white Fettucine pasta. I honestly haven’t found a big difference in the amount of liquid needed for whole grain v. white pasta, but you’re safest to start with the 1:1 ratio, and increase near the end of the cooking time if need be.

The difficulty I had with the long noodles is trying to keep them from sticking together. With short noodles, this isn’t as much of an issue. But long noodles seem to work slightly better boiling in a large pot of water. As you can see, it still worked out, and it was totally delicious, but for this reason short pastas might work marginally better than long.

overhead image of one pot pasta primavera in black skillet on white background

Liquid:

I used 3 cups milk and 1 cup broth this time. As you can see, the sauce is a little thicker than my Pepperoni Mac & Cheese with Bacon. I find the thicker sauces are best if you are serving them right away, because they continue to thicken as they sit, and in just a few minutes they become quite thick. This is why I find more of a 1:1 ratio of milk to broth works a little better — the sauce stays smoother and is better reheated.

If you want a nice thick creamy sauce, and you want to reheat it later, the best way to do this is to add a splash (maybe 2 tbsp) of milk or water to the container or pot when you’re reheating it. This will keep the pasta from becoming too dry.

Meat:

I didn’t use any meat in this dish, but chicken would work really well if you wanted!

Veggies:

For my primavera, I added shredded carrots at the beginning of the cook time, and I added frozen peas and chopped spinach just before I removed the pan from the heat. I thought they all worked really well and were cooked perfectly!

You could also add any of your favorites: mushrooms, diced zucchini, snap peas and cherry tomatoes would work really well!

Cheese and Extras:

I really didn’t use any cheese or extras, though this is a great dish to experiment with. We really, really enjoyed it just as it is, and my 3 year old actually preferred this veggie loaded pasta to the Pepperoni Pizza one we had the previous day!

close up image of pasta primavera with spinach peas and shredded carrots

Watch the recipe video and see how easy it is to make!

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One Pot Pasta Primavera

written by Ashley Fehr

3.67 from 3 votes
This easy One Pot Pasta Primavera is a creamy, veggie-loaded meal that comes together in just 30 minutes! With spinach, peas, carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, and tomatoes, it's a vibrant, healthy meal packed with nutrients! Includes a step-by-step recipe video!
close up shot of pasta primavera in black pan.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Cuisine American
Course Main Course
Servings 5
Calories 495cal

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 red bell pepper (chopped)
  • 1 cup carrot matchsticks
  • 1½ teaspoons salt (reduce if using salted broth)
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or chicken
  • 1½ cups heavy cream
  • 4½ cups penne pasta (about 410 grams or 14.5 ounces)
  • 1 small zucchini (halved lengthwise and sliced)
  • 1 cup small broccoli florets
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
  • ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (omit for vegetarian)

Instructions

  • In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add pepper and carrots and sauté until crisp-tender.
  • Add salt, garlic, Italian seasoning, and pepper, and cook for 1 minute.
  • Add broth and cream, and bring to a gentle boil. Stir in pasta, zucchini, and broccoli.
  • Reduce to medium heat and continue cooking and stirring, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Cover and continue cooking until the pasta is al dente (stirring occasionally).
  • Remove from heat and stir in peas, spinach, and Parmesan. Cover and let it sit for 2 minutes until the peas are warmed through and the spinach is wilted.

Notes

Ingredients and Substitutions:
Vegetables: you can really use almost any vegetable you have in the fridge or the garden here! Try adding mushrooms, green beans, kale, cherry tomatoes, or any other of your favorites. Keep in mind that firmer vegetables should be added at the beginning of the cook time, and softer vegetables at the end.
Seasonings: I kept the seasonings simple and focused on the flavor of all those veggies. Feel free to add some spice with red pepper flakes or cayenne, or add in fresh herbs from the garden as well.
Cooking liquid: I like to use mostly broth and add in heavy cream to give it richness and creaminess. I do not recommend using a lighter cream because there is a chance it will curdle with the high cooking temperature.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 495cal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 917mg | Potassium: 552mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 7696IU | Vitamin C: 71mg | Calcium: 224mg | Iron: 3mg
Keywords pasta primavera

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Meet Ashley

My name is Ashley Fehr and I love creating easy meals my family loves. I also like to do things my way, which means improvising and breaking the rules when necessary. Here you will find creative twists on old favorites and some of my favorite family recipes, passed down from generations!

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Comments

  1. Dave Shakespeare says

    I wanna try it, but will probably break the pasta in half to help with the cooking. Looking forward to trying.

    Reply

  2. Lisa says

    I mixed this recipe up a bit. I used cashew milk and gluten free pasta because as you may have guessed I’m both dairy and gluten free! I used the shredded carrots, but instead of spunch and peas I chose asparagus and grape tomatoes. Delicious!

    Reply

  5. marcie says

    I live for one pot pastas, especially when they’re lightened up and packed with veggies! This looks so creamy and delicious!

    Reply

  7. Lauren J. says

    This was really good (a few years later). Was looking to get my kids to eat some veggies. I added some garlic & shredded zucchini as well as parmesan cheese. It was loved!

    Reply

  8. Kitzi Klinger says

    So delicious! I used 2% milk and 2 tbsp butter for extra creaminess. I also added grilled garlic chicken.

    Reply

  10. Nita Sharda says

    Thanks for this formula Ashley! I am totally going to try out how tofu fits into the formula! I bet it would also be great with chickpeas or white beans that have been pre-cooked or canned!

    Reply

  17. Dorothy Dunton says

    Hi Ashley! I’m a big fan of bucatini pasta, so I would sub that in. I think the only vegetable I don’t like is okra, yuck!

    Reply

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