Tender pasta and veggies are drenched in garlicky white wine sauce to make this incredibly flavor-packed vegan pasta Primavera. The best part: it all comes together in about 30 minutes.
It's officially March, which means it's unofficially spring. We've got a few weeks to go before the actual equinox, but it's starting to warm up and there's actually a little purple flower blooming in my front yard.
As you may know if you're a regular reader around these parts, I'm not one for getting psyched up about the warmer days to come. Give me sweaters and cozy fires.
But...you can also give me veggies. And I have to admit that I do get a twinge of excitement when the produce aisle starts getting a little greener this time of year. And hey, it's still cool enough for sweaters. Sweater weather + spring veggies is the perfect excuse to cook up cozy veggie-packed pasta dishes.
Enter this vegan pasta Primavera.
I'll be frank: pasta Primavera was never a favorite of mine. It can be kind of boring. You know? I can't be the only one that's gotten stuck with a bland plate of noodles and mushy veggies as the vegan entrée at just about every wedding I've ever attended. This pasta Primavera is different.
Jump to:
Ingredients You'll Need
- Dried pasta. I'm using dried penne pasta, but the recipe will work just fine with other pasta shapes.
- Fresh asparagus. Pro tip: Make sure to trim the woody ends from your asparagus. To do this, grab the base in one hand, and grab the stalk in the middle with your other hand. Bend until the end snaps off. It will always break in just the right place.
- Fresh broccoli.
- Olive oil. Other high-heat oils will work just fine, but you'll get the best flavor with olive.
- Onion.
- Carrots.
- Garlic.
- White wine. Not all white wine is vegan. Check with Barnivore to ensure that the brand you buy is.
- Light coconut milk. Full-fat coconut milk works too! You can substitute another non-dairy milk if you absolutely can't stand the taste of coconut (even though it will be subtle in this dish).
- Lemon juice. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice to give your sauce the best flavor.
- Zucchini.
- Sun-dried tomatoes. I used dry (bagged) sun-dried tomatoes, but you can use marinated ones if you prefer.
- Frozen peas.
- Fresh basil.
- Fresh parsley.
- Lemon zest.
- Red pepper flakes. These are optional, but great for adding a little kick to your pasta.
- Salt & pepper.
- Vegan Parmesan cheese. I like to use my homemade vegan Parmesan cheese, but store-bought also works.
Tip: Feel free to switch things up and use your favorite veggies. Broccoli or cauliflower would be great in place of the asparagus. Summer squash could easily replace the zucchini. And parsnips could stand in for carrots.
How It's Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Boil your pasta according to the package directions, but set the timer for two minutes less than the time specified for al dente pasta. Add fresh broccoli florets and chopped asparagus to the water and boil it with your pasta for the last two minutes.
Drain everything together. I like to try and time it so that my pasta is done around the same time as the sauce and the rest of the veggies, but don't sweat it!
Tip: Two minutes of boiling will give you tender-crisp broccoli and asparagus. If you like your veggies softer, boil them a bit longer.
While the pasta cooks, heat some oil in a large skillet or pot and add diced onion and carrot. Sweat the veggies until they soften, then add minced garlic and cook it with the veggies briefly.
Add wine to the skillet and let it simmer for a few minutes — just long enough for the alcohol to cook off. You can skip right past this step if you prefer to cook without alcohol.
Tip: Make sure you're using a big cooking vessel! I'm working with a 12-inch skillet and it was a tight squeeze by the time I added everything! If in doubt, use a pot.
Stir in the coconut milk, lemon juice, some salt, zucchini, and sun-dried tomatoes. Simmer the mixture for a few minutes, until the zucchini is tender but not mushy.
Add your cooked pasta to the skillet, along with the broccoli, asparagus, and peas. Stir everything up to coat the pasta and vegetables with sauce and cook everything briefly to reheat the pasta.
Take the skillet off of heat and stir in chopped basil, parsley, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes if you're using them. Also season your pasta with additional salt and black pepper to taste.
Serve your vegan pasta primavera with a sprinkling of vegan Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover vegan pasta Primavera will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Add a splash of water when reheating if the pasta has dried out.
More Veggie-Packed Vegan Pasta Recipes
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Vegan Pasta Primavera
Tender pasta and veggies are drenched in garlicky white wine sauce to make this incredibly flavor-packed vegan pasta Primavera. The best part: it all comes together in about 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dried penne pasta (or your favorite pasta shape)
- 8 ounces asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 small broccoli crown, broken into florets (about 2 cups)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus a dash more, for tossing the pasta if needed
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ½ cup light coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1 small zucchini, quartered and sliced
- 1 cup julienne cut sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- ½ cup fresh basil, chopped
- ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)
- Black pepper, to taste
- Vegan Parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta. Refer to the package directions and set the timer for 2 minutes less than the time specified for al dente pasta.
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Add the asparagus and broccoli when the timer goes off. Cook everything for 2 minutes more, until the pasta is tender and the veggies are bright green, then drain it all into a colander.
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While the pasta cooks, coat the bottom of a large pot or skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and place it over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion and carrot. Sweat the vegetables for about 8 minutes, until the carrot begins to soften.
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Add the garlic and cook it with the onion and carrots for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until it becomes very fragrant.
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Stir in the wine, bring it to a simmer, and let it cook for about 4 minutes, until reduced by about half.
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Stir in the coconut milk, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of salt, zucchini and sun-dried tomatoes. Bring the mixture to a simmer and let it cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini softens.
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Stir in the cooked pasta, broccoli, asparagus, and peas. Toss everything a few times to distribute the veggies, then remove the skillet from heat.
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Stir in the basil, parsley, and lemon zest then season the dish with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.
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Divide onto plates and serve with vegan Parmesan cheese.
Recipe Notes
- Nutrition information does not include vegan Parmesan cheese.
- This recipe makes 4 generous servings. You could get up to 6 smaller servings out of it.
This Vegan Pasta Primavera sounds absolutely delicious! Love that you can mix and match veggies to fit your personal taste, not to mention how quickly it all comes together - YAY! Definitely need to try this yummy dish!
Thanks so much Ameera!! I hope you enjoy it!
I am so happy I found this site! There are so many recipes and I want to try them all lol
Well I'm happy you found it too!! I hope you enjoy the recipes! Thanks Ashleigh!
I just got done enjoying this with my mom and brother. We loved it! I especially liked how easy it was and healthy. What great flavors!
Yay!! Glad you enjoyed it!!
Just want to say thank you for all these incredible recipes. I'm not vegan myself, but certainly have been eating far more vegan dishes since a friend sent a link to this site. Can't wait to try this one.
I'm so glad you're enjoying the recipes! I hope you like this one as well! Thanks Marie!
Just made this for dinner with my boyfriend and we absolutely loved it! First shot at a pasta primavera since we both went vegan over a year ago. Not sure how we waited this long. Super delicious. Coconut milk was a great idea. Thank you!
Awesome!! I'm so glad you both enjoyed it! Thanks Miranda!
This turned out so well. I loved it and so did my non vegan husband who added a little Parmesan. I was thoroughly pleased how well the sauce turned out and you were so right about the non coconut taste. My husband had no idea!
Thanks!
Awesome!! I'm so glad you both enjoyed it!
Is that fresh or canned coconut milk? Cant wait to try it.
I used canned, but I think fresh would work too - I've just never had access to it!
This pasta was amazing! The flavours worked so well and the coconut milk was a perfect addition. I can't believe how quickly this dish came together, which is perfect for people who are living a very busy lifestyle! Thank you so much for the recipe and keep up the good work 😁
Yay! I'm so glad you like it!
I absolutely loved it. I didn't have any white wine on hand as I don't drink...but it still turned out really tasty. I'll be making this over and over. Thank-you!
Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Did you use sundried tomatoes packed in oil or from a package? Just trying to figure out whether I should drain my sundried tomatoes and press a bit of the salt out?
I use the dry ones from a package. If you have oil-packed I'd drain them. Enjoy!!
This pasta premavara tastes absolutely amazing! I followed this recipe to the T and it turned out so amazing. Definitely the best pasta recipe I have made in a very long time. Thank you so much for sharing!!
I'm so happy to hear that! Thanks so much Ashley!!
Hiii!
I want to try this recipe so much!
I'm not an english native speaker and i have one question: what do you mean by light coconut milk? The can variant which people use in a curry or the coconut drink?
Light coconut milk is usually sold in cans - it's just a reduced fat version of the kind used in most curries. Look for something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Thai-Kitchen-Lite-Coconut-13-66/dp/B00I9VACI2 Enjoy!
The addition of the coconut milk is a great choice. It made the sauce very creamy. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Wonderful Pasta Primavera! I added other vegetables that I liked and more basil and wine :-)...but overall very easyt to make and modify to your own preferences and delicious. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
This was VERY good. Much better than I expected for a pasta dish that wasn't a red sauce or creamy sauce. I subbed in white beans for peas for more protein and added some lacinto kale and swiss chard fresh from the garden instead of asparagus. Make sure to add the red pepper flakes as they really complete the meal. We loved the taste of the veggies with this dish.
Very nice recipe, but it has a flaw. The recipe says you should cook the cut up asparagus with the capellini and drain them at the same time. Capellini takes about three minute to cook. I used fresh capellini so cooking any longer than that would make it too soft. Unless you like very crunchy asparagus, it will take at least five minutes of boiling. Also, why cook your pasta before the vegetables are done and then let it sit there to get cold? What I did was boil the asparagus first and, using a strainer on a handle, took it out of the water. I then cooked the remaining parts of the recipe so everything was ready before I cooked the capellini. Capellini was cooked last in the asparagus water. Once drained, the capellini was put back in the pot and the cooked vegetables were poured on top and all was mixed together.
OUT-FREAKING-STANDING!!!!!!
The only thing I omitted was the asparagus, due to dietary restrictions; and I added a tiny bit of Miyoko's butter to my noodles.
Creamy noodles without the heavy sauce. I cannot wait to add this to the rotation!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!
Not my fav. The coconut milk taste came through too much. I love coocnut, just not in my pasta Primavera.