Italian-American · Mains
Pasta Primavera (Pasta With Spring Vegetables)
Combining a mixture of bright spring produce and a light but creamy sauce, pasta primavera is the ideal dish for a warm May evening.
Ingredients
Serves 6- 12ounces fava beans in their pods, or 4 ounces shucked fava beans
- 12ounces English peas in their pods, or 4 ounces shucked peas
- Kosher salt
- 8ounces asparagus, woody ends removed, stalks cut on a sharp bias into 1-inch pieces
- 6ounces snap peas, strings removed, cut on a sharp bias into 1/2-inch slices
- 8ounces broccolini, woody ends removed, cut on a sharp bias into 1-inch pieces
- 4tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- 2whole cloves garlic, lightly smashed with the side of a knife
- 3ounces pine nuts
- 1pound fresh egg pasta, such as fettuccine, penne, or gemelli (see note)
- 6ounces crème fraîche
- 2teaspoons finely grated zest and 1 teaspoon fresh juice from 1 lemon
- ½ounce minced fresh basil leaves
- ½ounce minced fresh parsley leaves
- Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
Method
- 01
If using fava beans and peas in their pods, shuck beans and peas from pods, keeping beans and peas separate. Discard pods. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and prepare an ice bath. Working with one vegetable at a time, blanch favas, peas, asparagus, snap peas, and broccolini in boiling water for 1 minute each, transfer to ice bath to cool, then transfer to a paper towel–lined tray and pat dry. Remove and discard skin from each individual fava bean. Set vegetables aside. Empty pot, refill it with fresh water, season generously with salt, and return to a boil. Serious Eats / Julia Estrada
- 02
Meanwhile, in a 3- to 4-quart saucier or a 12-inch skillet, heat butter, olive oil, garlic, and pine nuts over low heat until gently sizzling. Cook, swirling pan constantly, until pine nuts just start to brown and garlic aroma is very strong. Do not let butter brown; remove it from heat occasionally if it starts to sizzle too rapidly. Discard garlic cloves. Add blanched vegetables to pan and toss to combine. Remove from heat. Serious Eats / Julia Estrada
- 03
When water is boiling, add pasta and cook until just shy of al dente, about 1 minute total for most fresh pasta (see note). Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Transfer pasta to pan with vegetables and add crème fraîche, lemon zest, lemon juice, basil, and parsley. Set over high heat and cook, stirring and tossing constantly and adjusting the consistency as necessary with a few splashes of the starchy pasta water, until liquid reduces to a creamy sauce. The sauce should coat the pasta and leave a creamy trail on the bottom of the pan when you drag a wooden spoon through it. Serious Eats / Julia Estrada
- 04
Off heat, stir in a generous shaving of fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, drizzling with olive oil and sprinkling with freshly ground black pepper and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano at the table.