This dish is a favorite with my family! Creamy Pasta Primavera is a great vegetarian option if you’re looking to add a few meatless meals to your rotation. Although you can certainly add grilled or roasted chicken, shrimp, or even sliced steak to this meal, it’s delicious and filling on its own.
One thing I like about this pasta dish is that you can choose any vegetables your family loves. It would be great with sliced mushrooms or asparagus. Red bell peppers are also delicious in it. It’s very versatile and easy to adjust to fit your family’s preferences.
Creamy Pasta Primavera Recipe
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion
- 2 medium carrots
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 medium zucchini
- 1 medium head of broccoli
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
- salt, ground black pepper, red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan
- 1 pound dried fettuccine
Prep the onions
Heat the olive oil over medium low heat in a large skillet. Start your prep with the onion. I slice both ends off then slice the onion in have top to bottom. Peel off the papery skin and any dry looking layers underneath. It might seem wasteful but the dry layers are tough and won’t cook properly. To reduce food waste I save onion ends and skins along with carrot, celery, and garlic scraps in a bag in my freezer for making stock. Here’s a post about saving money and not wasting food by making chicken stock from scraps.
Thinly slice the onion and add to the skillet with the olive oil. Turn the heat to low and cook, stirring often, until the onions are soft, transparent, and beginning to brown.
I like to prep the carrots while the onions cook. You can work through all the vegetables at once and have them set up in separate bowls or work on the next vegetable while the previous one sautés. I usually choose the second option. One prep tip I always use is to have a bowl for scraps or my compost bucket nearby while I work. It makes cleanup quick and easy since all the scraps and peels are dealt with as I go along.
Prep the carrots and garlic
While the onions are sautéing, julienne the carrots. Most of the time I scrub carrots instead of peeling them unless the skins are craggy and hard to clean. Slice off the carrot ends and cut the carrots into 3 inch chunks. Carefully slice the chunks lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices. It will be easier and safer if you slice off one slice then turn the carrot onto the flat side you just made and continue from there.
Once you get all the carrot chunks sliced, stack the slices of carrot and cut into 1/4 inch sticks. We aren’t aiming for perfection, just fairly uniform matchsticks of carrot.
Add the carrots to the onions in the pan while you mince the garlic. Break off 2 cloves of garlic and mash with the flat side of your knife. This breaks the skins so you can peel them easier. Remove the peels and mince the garlic. Add to the sautéing onions and carrots.
Prep the zucchini and broccoli
While the carrots and garlic sauté with the onions, prep the zucchini. Follow the same process as you did with the carrots. Cut the zucchini into 2-3 inch sections and slice each section into 1/4 inch thick slabs. Stack the slabs and cut into 1/4 inch matchsticks. If the matchsticks are too long you can cut the whole stack in half like I did below.
As you finish each stack, add them to the sauté pan. Give the vegetables a stir so the zucchini is coated with the oil. Now is good time to add a sprinkle of salt. While the zucchini cooks you can prep the broccoli.
Start by trimming the tough end off the broccoli stalk. Cut the remaining broccoli stalk into thin slices until you get to the florets. Cut them off and slice the base of each floret until you can cut or break it into small bite-sized pieces. Add the sliced stalks and florets to the pan. Stir to coat with the oil, add a tablespoon of water, and cover pan with a lid to steam the broccoli. Steam on medium-low heat for 5 minutes or until the broccoli is bright green and tender.
Make the sauce for Creamy Pasta Primavera
Now it’s time to make the delicious cream sauce! A traditional white sauce is made with a roux of equal parts butter and flour that is finished with milk. I have a hack that saves a few steps and is just as tasty. You can make it with whole milk but I like to use evaporated milk.
A word about evaporated milk
If you aren’t familiar with evaporated milk it’s regular milk that’s had most of the water removed so it’s richer and creamier. At the grocery store you can find it on the baking aisle. One huge advantage is that it’s canned and shelf stable. I keep it on hand as part of my food storage. There’s always going to be a time when you run out of milk and this is a great substitute!
Back to the sauce
Shake the can of evaporated milk before opening it. Pour a few tablespoons into the pan with all the vegetables so you can add the flour directly to the can. Why not save on the dishes if you can! Whisk the flour into the milk until it’s smooth. Pour the milk and flour mixture into the vegetables and stir gently over medium-low heat until it’s thick and creamy, about 5 minutes.
Season the sauce with salt, ground black pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste. Stir in the parmesan cheese and turn off the heat. Taste again to check the seasoning and adjust as needed.
Meanwhile, the pasta!
While you’re chopping vegetables and making the sauce, bring a big pot of water to the boil. Add 2 or 3 tablespoons of salt. Pasta is made out of flour and water, not much flavor there. It’s important to season it while it’s cooking with very salty water. I love the Italian saying that water for pasta should be as salty as the sea! The pasta will only absorb as much salt as it can then the rest goes down the drain with the extra cooking water. No need to worry about it being too salty!
When the water is really boiling, add the pasta and set a timer for the lowest suggested time on the package. Stir it really good as soon as it’s in the boiling water so it won’t stick together. Fettuccine is bad about sticking together as it cooks so be careful to stir enough to make sure there’s not a clump of pasta. There’s no need to add oil to the water or to the drained pasta as long as you stir it well in the pot and use it right away.
Finishing the Creamy Pasta Primavera
If you time things right, the pasta should be done around the same time you finish the sauce. Reserve a cup of the pasta water then drain the pasta and add the fettuccine to the sauce. If it’s too thick you can thin it down with the extra pasta water to get the consistency you like. I prefer to use tongs to scoop up the pasta and add it directly to the sauce. This usually adds enough pasta water along with the pasta to get the sauce just right. It also means I don’t have to wash the colander and that’s always an advantage to me!
Now all you have to do is serve the Creamy Pasta Primavera to your lucky family! I like to transfer it to my big pasta serving bowl so we can pass it around and serve ourselves. Don’t forget to set extra parmesan on the table for everyone to add to their pasta. If you have one of these cool graters it’s even more fun!
Creamy Pasta Primavera
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced
- 2 medium carrots scrubbed and julienned
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium zucchini cut into matchsticks
- 1 medium head of broccoli chopped
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 12 ounce can evaporated milk
- salt, ground black pepper, red pepper flakes to taste
- 1/2 cup fresh parmesan grated plus extra for serving
- 1 pound dried fettuccine
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large sauté pan. Add sliced onion and cook until it starts to soften. Reduce heat to low and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until the onions begin to caramelize.
- Add julienned carrots and minced garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring often so garlic doesn't burn.
- Stir in zucchini cut into matchsticks and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Add chopped broccoli and 2 tablespoons of water. Cover and steam for 5 minutes or until the broccoli is almost tender.
- Whisk all-purpose flour into the evaporated milk until smooth. Pour into the sauté pan with the vegetables along with an additional can of water or milk. Stir over medium-low heat to make a creamy sauce. Simmer on low heat for 5 minutes.
- Season with salt, ground black pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste. Add the fresh grated parmesan and stir until smooth.
- Cook the fettuccine in salted water according to the instructions on the package. When the pasta is al-dente, scoop out some pasta water then drain and return to the pot. Pour the sauce over the hot pasta and gently combine. Add reserved pasta water to thin the sauce if needed.
- Serve immediately with more fresh grated parmesan.
