Pasta Primavera
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
This pasta primavera is a go-to when summer veggies are at their peak—it’s easy to prep ahead and just as delicious served warm or at room temperature.
Photo by Johnny Miller (Clarkson Potter, 2021)
The word primavera means springtime in Italian, but pasta primavera has come to mean pasta tossed with a chorus of vegetables from any season. This version—with roasted cherry tomatoes, corn, and zucchini—is an ode to summer.
It’s a fresh spin on the classic dish made famous by Le Cirque in the 1970s, once described by a New York Times food columnist as “by far, the most talked-about dish in Manhattan.”
Pasta primavera is rich and flavorful enough to serve as a main course, but it also makes a fantastic side to grilled chicken or Italian sausage. Bonus: it’s good at room temperature and doubles as a delicious pasta salad.
“This was a wonderful dish! So flavorful and satisfying but not heavy. Perfect pasta dish for summer!”
What You’ll Need To Make Pasta Primavera
- Cherry tomatoes, zucchini, and fresh corn: These peak-summer veggies add sweetness, texture, and tons of flavor.
- Shallots and garlic: The aromatic base that gives the dish its savory backbone.
- Extra-virgin olive oil and butter: Olive oil is used for roasting and a final drizzle, while a little butter adds richness and gives the sauce a silky finish.
- Fusilli (or a similar pasta): Twisted shapes like fusilli, penne, farfalle, gemelli, or campanelle all do a great job of catching the sauce and clinging to the veggies.
- Herbes de Provence and crushed red pepper flakes: A fragrant blend of dried herbs with a touch of heat to round out the flavor.
- Pecorino Romano cheese: Sharp and salty—perfect for tying everything together. Parmigiano-Reggiano works too.
- Fresh basil and pine nuts: Just before serving, a sprinkle of basil and toasted pine nuts adds brightness, crunch, and a final layer of flavor.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Toss the longer-roasting veggies. On a foil-lined baking sheet, combine the cherry tomatoes, shallots, garlic, olive oil, salt, and a pinch of sugar. Toss everything together with your hands or a rubber spatula until the vegetables are well coated.
Step 2: Roast. Arrange the vegetables in a single layer and roast at 450°F for about 20 minutes, or until the tomatoes are burst and starting to brown.
Step 3: Add the quick-cooking veggies. Remove the pan from the oven and add the zucchini and corn. Toss with a rubber spatula and spread into an even layer. Roast for 5 minutes more, until the zucchini and corn are tender-crisp.
Step 4: Cook the pasta. Meanwhile, boil the pasta in salted water until al dente and drain.
Step 5: Put it all together. Add the pasta back to the pan, along with the roasted vegetables and all their juices. Add the butter, herbes de Provence, red pepper flakes, pecorino Romano, basil, and pine nuts.
Step 6: Toss and serve. Give everything a good toss, then taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Spoon into bowls, drizzle with a little olive oil if you’d like, and top with more grated cheese. Enjoy!
Video Tutorial
You May Also Like
Pasta Primavera
This pasta primavera gets a summery spin with roasted tomatoes, sweet corn, and zucchini—it’s fresh, flavorful, and so easy to make.
Ingredients
- 1¼ lbs (2 pints) cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 4 shallots, thinly sliced
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1½ teaspoons sugar
- 1 medium zucchini, cut into ¼-inch chunks
- 1½ cups fresh corn kernels, from 2 ears corn
- 12 oz fusilli (or similar shape) pasta
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence (see note)
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ cup grated pecorino romano cheese, plus more for serving
- ½ cup tightly packed basil leaves, roughly chopped
- ⅓ cup pine nuts, toasted (see note)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil.
- Combine the tomatoes, shallots, garlic, olive oil, salt, and sugar on the prepared baking sheet. Toss with your hands or a rubber spatula until the vegetables are evenly coated. Arrange the vegetables in a single layer and roast for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the tomatoes are just starting to brown. Remove the pan from the oven and add the zucchini and corn. Toss with a rubber spatula (the tomatoes will collapse; that's okay) and spread into an even layer. Roast for 5 minutes more, until the zucchini and corn are tender-crisp.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain, then add the pasta back to the pan. Add the roasted vegetables and all their juices to the pasta, along with the butter, herbes de Provence, red pepper flakes, pecorino Romano, basil, and pine nuts. Toss well, then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Spoon into pasta bowls and drizzle with olive oil, if desired. Serve with more grated cheese.
- Note: Herbes de Provence can be found in the spice section of your supermarket. Most markets carry it but if you can't find it, dried thyme may be substituted.
- Note: To toast the pine nuts, put them in a dry skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until golden in spots, about 3 minutes.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 540
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated fat: 7 g
- Carbohydrates: 66 g
- Sugar: 11 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 16 g
- Sodium: 695 mg
- Cholesterol: 27 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Hi Jenn
Another Wonderful Recipe! I made this during a heavy rain storm. I did not have a zucchini or shallots at home and I decided I was not going out in the rain to buy them. I substituted Broccoli florets and a cooking onion. Absolutely delicious! Thank you!
Made this out of Jenn’s second cookbook, but I always love coming online to review and look at comments. This was simply amazing! I had lower expectations because I wasn’t sure what to expect from the zucchini and corn, but man…it was perfect. It’s one of those seasonal recipes that you are just so excited to make when summer comes around, and it will be a summer staple for years to come. Wish I could say I used my own garden veggies, but the veggies came from the store and it was still delicious. Great way to use up my basil plant that goes quickly during summer. Thanks Jenn!
Hello: Would the Pasta Primavera go well with the Spanish Gazapacho Soup?
Hi Mary, While one of the recipes is Italian and the other is Spanish, I do think the flavors would work together nicely.
thanks for the reply. Can this be made a day before kept in the fridge?
Sure, Mary, that’s fine.
One of my favorites! Having made it a number of times, I felt confident to serve it for a dinner party. I had everything chopped and ready to go before I started the pasta so it came together quickly. In the future, I will slice the shallots right before I put them in the oven (rather than ahead of time) as they have quite a strong aroma. Guests loved it and asked for the recipe the next day!
Easy but way under seasoned. The sugar was an unnecessary addition.
I won’t make it again.
The small amount of sugar brings out the sweetness in the tomatoes. Jenn suggests tasting and adjusting seasoning before serving. How about thanks for the recipe, Jenn?! My husband and I thought it was delicious!
Excellent. I served it as a side dish for grilled chicken…what a feast…nothing to change…thank you for a beautiful recipe!
This looks like another amazing recipe. Is this dish served hot or could it be served at room temperature? Or made ahead? Thank you!
Hi LM, it’s actually good hot, cold, or at room temperature, but if I had to pick, I’d probably say hot is my favorite. And yes, you can make it ahead. Enjoy!
This pasta is nothing short of amazing. The roasted pine nuts raise this recipe to another level!
A new summer favorite! Can’t wait to make it again!
What do you think of replacing the cheese with fresh mozzarella?
Sure, Jill that would work — I’d toss mozzarella pearls in right before serving.
This is wonderful! Could it also be served at room temperature?
Thanks!
Glad you liked it! Yes, you can also serve it at room temperature.