Vegan Pasta Primavera! It's a light and refreshing pasta dish made with fresh spring vegetables and Fusilli pasta tossed with fresh lemon juice, vegan parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper. Made in under 20 minutes!
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Now that we are in the heading into summer, I’ve got garden-grown veggies on my mind.
As you may know, I love my vegan pasta and summer veggies. Among my favorites are this Vegan Pesto Pasta with Summer Squash and Zucchini and this One Pot Garlic White Wine Pasta with Peas. And now I'm adding a new one to the list.
Vegan Pasta Primavera.
It’s a simple pasta recipe made with early summer veggies, sautéed garlic and onions, and fresh basil and lemon juice. It's sweet, tart, and delicious!
Ingredients and Substitutions
This recipe is highly versatile. You can easily swap out the veggies for whatever you have on hand; no need to take an extra trip to the store for this recipe.
Here is everything you need.
- Pasta - I typically use Fusilli, Penne, or Spaghetti but you can really use any type of pasta for this recipe.
- Olive Oil
- Onions & Garlic
- Vegetables - Aim for about 6 cups of springtime vegetables. I recommend a variety of broccolini, zucchini, asparagus, bell peppers, summer squash, carrots, peas, and cherry tomatoes.
- Vegan Parmesan - I HIGHLY recommend Violife parmesan. It is creamy, melty, and tastes exactly how I remember parmesan to taste. Look for it at Whole Foods or your natural health food store. If you don’t have access to Violife, you can make your own parmesan or substitute nutritional yeast.
- Lemon
- Basil
- Salt & Pepper
How to Vegan Pasta Primavera
Step One - Cook the Pasta
Bring 2 quarts of water to boil and add pasta of choice. Cook, uncovered, for 7-9 minutes until pasta is al dente. Remove from heat, strain through a colander, reserving 1 cup of pasta water, and set aside.
Pro Tip: it's important the pasta is not over cooked. It should feel slightly undercooked. It will finish cooking along with the vegetables.
Step Two - Sauté the Veggies
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté garlic and onion for 2 minutes. Add the remaining vegetables and cook until all the vegetables are slightly soft, about 4-5 more minutes. Do not overcook; they should still have a bit of a crunch to them.
Pro Tip: Depending on the vegetables, the cook time will vary. Add harder vegetables, like asparagus and broccoli first. After a few minutes add your softer vegetables like zucchini, summer squash, and peas.
Step Three - Toss it all Together
Add the cooked pasta, ½ cup reserved pasta water, lemon juice, vegan parmesan, salt, and pepper, stirring to combine until the pasta and vegetables are well combined. You may need to add an additional ½ cup of pasta water if it feels like the pasta is clumping together.
Remove from heat and stir in cherry tomatoes and basil. .
Serving and Storing
Serving - Serve the pasta immediately with artisan bread and a vegan caesar salad.
Storing - Store leftover pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When ready to eat, gently reheat the pasta over the stove with 1-2 tablespoons of water. You can also freeze this pasta for up to three months. When ready to eat, pull it out of the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for at least 2 hours before rewarming it over the stove.
Tips and Tricks
- Do not overcook the pasta. It should feel slightly undercooked as it will finish cooking at the end along with the vegetables.
- Likewise, do not overcook your vegetables. They should have a slight crunch to them. 4-6 minutes should be all you need.
- This recipe is highly versatile. Feel free to swap in or out any vegetables. Aim to use about 6 cups of vegetables for every 12 ounces of pasta.
Frequently Asked Questions
Any kind of pasta works although my favorites are fusilli, penne, and spaghetti.
You can use any spring vegetables you like! I like to use asparagus, zucchini, bell peppers, broccolini, and cherry tomatoes but feel free to swap them out for your veggies of choice.
Sure! Just swap out the fusilli for gluten-free pasta and you have yourself a gluten-free pasta recipe. This is my favorite brand of gluten-free pasta. (<<affiliate link)
More Vegan Pasta Recipes
- Lemon Pepper Mediterranean Pasta
- Vegan Pesto Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta with Bechamel Sauce
- Penne Pasta with Vegan Vodka Sauce
- Vegan Fettuccini Alfredo
Want more? Make sure to check out all my go-to vegan pasta recipes for inspiration.
Vegan Pasta Primavera
Ingredients
Pesto Pasta
- 12 oz fusilli pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 6 oz (about 1 ½ cups) asparagus, cut into 1" pieces
- 1 cup broccolini, cut into 1" pieces
- ½ yellow bell pepper, seeded and thinly cut
- ½ medium zucchini, chopped
- ¾ cup frozen peas
- 1 heaping cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 tbsp. vegan parmesan, I use Violife
- juice of one lemon
- ½ - 1 cup reserved pasta water
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Bring 2 quarts of water to boil and add fusilli pasta. Cook, uncovered, for 7-9 minutes until pasta is al dente. Remove from heat, strain through a colander, reserving 1 cup of pasta water, and set aside.
- While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, reduce heat to medium and garlic and onion. Sauté for 2 minutes. Add asparagus, broccolini, and bell pepper and sauté for an additional two minutes, until the asparagus and broccolini are vibrantly green. Add zucchini and frozen peas and sauté for an additional 2 more minutes until all the vegetables are warm but should not be fully cooked; they should still have a bit of a crunch to them.
- Turn heat to low. Add pasta, ½ cup reserved pasta water, lemon juice, parmesan, and salt and pepper, stirring to combine until the pasta is well incorporated. You may need to add an additional ½ cup of pasta water if it feels like it's sticking together. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Remove from heat and stir in cherry tomatoes and basil. Serve immediately with artisan bread and a vegan caesar salad.
Notes
- Do not overcook the pasta. It should feel slightly undercooked as it will finish cooking at the end along with the vegetables.
- Likewise, do not overcook your vegetables. They should have a slight crunch to them. 4-6 minutes should be all you need.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Cheryl says
Lovely simple and tasty. We had it with Italian bread. Definitely going into the menu rotation.