Pasta primavera is a versatile dish made with butter, cream, cheese and lightly cooked vegetables. A meat such as chicken or seafood may be added, and mixing up the combination of vegetables keeps it interesting.

It’s great any time of year; however, I make it most often in the summer because the sauce is light and fresh garden vegetables are readily available.

Sunday evening, I rummaged around in the refrigerator. That’s a weekly ritual since Monday is our trash pick-up day and I try to use items before my husband declares them suspect and need to be thrown away.

That’s one area where we disagree. If a product is even close to the use-by date, he thinks it should be thrown out. I think one should also consider the way it looks and smells. However if he used that logic, blue cheese and buttermilk would be thrown out as soon as I bought it. I have to watch him.

I found three heads of broccoli that needed to be used along with a green bell pepper. A red one would have made a prettier dish, but I like to use what I have. I also added a partial bag of frozen green peas. Any combination of 3-4 vegetables like squash, peppers, carrots, broccoli, peas, asparagus, or green beans make a great dish. I skip corn, potatoes or other starchy vegetables because the sauce will be served over pasta and that’s plenty of carbs.

Pasta Primavera Sauce
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. white wine
1 c. chicken stock
1 c. heavy cream
1 c. Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper, to taste

Sauté the onions in olive oil until translucent. Add garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Deglaze the pan with wine. Then add chicken stock and cook until the sauce is reduced by about half. Turn the heat off and let the pan sit while you prepare the vegetables or meat that will be added. Don’t pour the heavy cream into the hot pan since it will likely curdle.

Usually steaming the vegetables is best to keep them from being over-cooked. I usually steam vegetables in the microwave. However, I put the frozen peas directly into the sauce and let them warm.

I actually seared 4 chicken breast halves in the sauce pan on the stove and then removed them and started the sauce. Then I returned them to the sauce pan with the chicken stock so they would finish cooking. Just remove them when done and let rest about 15 minutes before slicing. You may also use previously cooked shrimp or chicken.

Prepare the pasta. I used angel hair, but any pasta may be used. After the pasta is done, reserve about a cup of the water and then drain.

Now that all the other ingredients are ready, it’s time to finish the sauce. Turn the heat to low and stir in the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. The sauce should be light and creamy as opposed to heavy and thick. Add the vegetables and meat. Taste and add salt or pepper as needed. Cook about 5 minutes just to help the flavors blend together. Add the cooked pasta and turn off the heat.

I usually let the dish sit while I prepare garlic bread or a salad. The pasta will absorb some of the sauce while it sits. When ready to serve, add a little of the reserved pasta water if the sauce is too thick.

I garnished with more Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes. Chopped herbs like parsley or basil also make a delicious garnish.
Using fresh vegetables is best, but leftovers may be reheated and used in the primavera sauce too. Another great way to clean out that fridge!