Creamy Pasta Primavera
Pasta primavera is loaded with spring veggies, tossed in a light lemon cream sauce. It’s a dish you’ll find yourself craving more than just in the springtime.
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound fettuccine pasta
- 1 ½ cup leeks chopped
- 1 cup shaved asparagus (1 big bunch needed) details below
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 handful arugula
- 1 handful chives snipped
- 4 medium shallots chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or parmesan cheese (plus more to garnish)
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice plus 1 lemon zested
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh basil to garnish
Instructions
- Trim the very bottoms of the asparagus. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the outer dark green layer off the bottom half of each asparagus (this part is tough and chewy). Discard. Use the veggie peeler again to shave the tender bottom half of each asparagus spear into ribbons until they’re too thin to work with. Do the same for the top half of each asparagus spear. After you have a cup of asparagus ribbons, set them aside. See video for details on ribbon technique for step-by-step instructions!
- Microwave peas with 2 tablespoons of water in a covered bowl for 2 minutes. Drain. Set aside.
- In a large skillet or pot, add shallots, garlic, and olive oil. Sauté for 3-5 minutes over medium heat until shallots soften.
- Add asparagus ribbons and leeks. Sauté for an additional 3-5 minutes until asparagus softens.
- Make a well in the center of the veggies. Turn heat to very low. Add cream, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Stir. Keep heat on low just to warm the cream while boiling the pasta.
- Boil pasta. Reserve ⅓ cup pasta water towards the ending of the cooking process.
- Add pasta, chives, arugula, peas, and parmesan to the veggie and cream mixture. Toss. Add pasta water to desired consistency (I add it all).
- Serve right away, garnished with basil, more cheese and black pepper.
Video
Notes
- You can use linguine if you can’t find fettuccine.
- You can use butter instead of olive oil if you prefer a richer result!
- It’s easiest to zest lemon before juicing.
- Although the asparagus ribbons are very much worth the time, you can also just cut the asparagus into bite-sized pieces. Double the sauté time.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 887kcal | Carbohydrates: 100g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 171mg | Sodium: 253mg | Potassium: 672mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 2154IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 279mg | Iron: 5mg