by: Kate McMillan
Cook Time
20 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Yield
4 Servings
Total Time
20 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Yield
4 Servings
summary
A springtime pasta that is light and full of colorful seasonal vegetables is always a welcome dinner. This fettuccine primavera comes together quickly and is sure to please everyone. You can substitute other vegetables in this dish such as sugar snap peas, julienned carrots and broccolini. Our spring pasta recipe calls for fresh pasta, which you can find at most grocery stores these days, but you can absolutely use dried pasta in its place.
ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed
- 1 leek, trimmed, halved and sliced
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- ¾ pound asparagus, woodsy ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ cup shelled English peas
- ¾ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 8 ounces fresh fettuccine
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- â…“ cup basil, chopped
directions
- Bring a large pot of water with 1 tablespoon of salt to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook the pasta according to package instructions for al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta water. Set aside.
- Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and season with salt and pepper. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until soft but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, asparagus and peas and sauté, stirring frequently, until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes, pasta and Parmesan cheese and toss until fully combined. Add ½ cup of pasta water (or more as needed) and toss to combine. Transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle with additional olive oil, if desired, garnish with basil and serve at once.
notes
You’ll definitely want to generously salt the water to season the pasta—it truly makes a difference. Make a habit of always reserving pasta water when you make pasta dishes. It is a great way to add flavor when you need to thin out a sauce or to help to make it a bit creamier. Best-quality, freshly grated Parmesan cheese will make a huge difference in this spring pasta recipe.
