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Photograph of One-Pot Pasta Primavera

One-Pot Pasta Primavera

Pasta Primavera, translated as pasta with spring vegetables, is made up of a wonderful selection of fresh green vegetables and spaghetti, all swathed in a creamy, cheesy sauce. It was created in the 1970s by Sirio Maccioni, co-owner of the legendary Le Cirque restaurant in New York. Although it is now recognised as an Italian-American classic, it was apparently originally created in Canada, on Prince Edward Island to be precise.

Serves 2

Course Main Course, Starter
Cuisine Italian-American
Keyword mixed vegetables, parmesan, Pasta
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Author Susan

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon pine nuts
  • 50g podded broad beans, fresh or frozen
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 20g unsalted butter
  • 2 spring onions, trimmed and sliced
  • 6g/2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
  • 60g/4 – 6 asparagus spears, woody end broken off and cut at an angle, in 1cm slices
  • 50g tender stem broccoli, florets separated, stem trimmed and cut at an angle, in 1cm slices
  • ½ medium courgette, trimmed, halved and sliced
  • ⅛ chilli flakes, optional, or to taste
  • 5 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 170g dried spaghetti (or your pasta of choice)
  • 560ml boiling water
  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 tablespoons double/heavy cream
  • 30g parmesan cheese, finely grated
  • 50g frozen peas
  • 6g fresh basil leaves, shredded

Serving options:

  • extra grated parmesan cheese
  • garlic or warm fresh bread
  • green salad

Instructions

  1. Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.

  2. Select a frying/cast iron pan large enough for the spaghetti to lay flat on the base. Heat over a moderate heat and add the pine nuts. Cook, stirring regularly, for 2 – 3 minutes, until the pine nuts are lightly browned. Remove from the pan.

  3. Next bring some water to the boil in the pan and toss in the broad beans. Simmer for 1 minute and then drain. Set the beans aside.

  4. Now melt the butter with the olive oil in the pan, over a moderate heat, and add the spring onions. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring from time to time.

  5. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables:

    - broad beans – remove the outer skin

    - garlic – peel and crush

    - asparagus spears – break off the woody end and cut, at an angle, in 1cm slices

    - tender stem broccoli – separate the florets, trim the stem and cut, at an angle, in 1cm slices

    - courgette – trim, halve and slice

    - cherry tomatoes – halve

  6. Add the broad beans, garlic, asparagus, broccoli and courgette to the pan, as well as the chilli flakes, if using. Mix well and cook for 2 minutes. Stir from time to time.

  7. Add the tomatoes and cook for a further minute. Remove all the vegetables from the pan and set aside.

  8. Next add the spaghetti, salt, pepper and boiling water to the pan. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, until only 2 – 3 tablespoons pasta water remain and the pasta is nearly cooked to your liking. It should be a tiny bit too al dente! As it cooks, stir from time to time. This helps to create a thicker sauce which will cling better to the sides of the pasta. Please note:

    - If the pasta is cooked, and there is too much liquid left, boil briskly to reduce the liquid quickly.

    - If the water has disappeared and the pasta is not yet cooked, add a little more boiling water and cook until the pasta is ready.

  9. Add the cream and cheese to the pan and cook, stirring, for a minute or two, until the cheese has melted and a delicious cheesy sauce swathes the pasta.

  10. Finally, return all the cooked vegetables to the pan, as well as the frozen peas, and heat through.

  11. Stir in the shredded basil, sprinkle with pine nuts and serve immediately, with extra grated parmesan on the side.

  12. NB If you would prefer a little extra sauce, simply add some extra cream or some boiling water.

Recipe Notes

Equipment:

  • kitchen scales, measuring jug and measuring spoons
  • chopping board and knife
  • wide frying/cast iron pan 
  • fine grater for the cheese
  • garlic crusher

Increasing the quantities:

This recipe serves 2 people. To increase the quantities you need to –

  • weigh pasta 
  • multiply the weight of pasta by 3.25 to get the amount of water you need to add
  • adjust remaining ingredients, to taste

For example if you are cooking 110g pasta – 

  • 110g pasta x 3.25 = 357ml rounded up to 360ml water
  • 200g pasta x 3.25 = 650ml water