Roasted Vegetable Pasta Primavera Recipe

What better way to eat your veggies than to bathe them in a garlic and parmesan cream sauce and then wrap them in fettuccine! That’s right, this is my kid-friendly Creamy Roasted Vegetable Pasta Primavera Recipe and it’s marvelous. This version has kid-friendly veggies asparagus, carrots, and fresh corn kernels that get simply roasted in the oven for a toasty flavor. Then a 5-minute garlic, grape tomato, half and half, and pasta water sauce comes together. Cooked pasta is added with lots of parmesan cheese to create a creamy and luxurious sauce.

Finally, the roasted fresh vegetables are mixed into all this goodness. In every cheesy pasta bite, you get earthiness from the asparagus, sweetness from the corn kernels and carrots, and fresh juiciness from the tomatoes. Save time by roasting the veggies ahead!

Simple Ingredients and Swaps for this Primavera

• Fettuccine Pasta -If you love pasta as much as my family does, then you likely have some on hand. You can use any fresh or dry pasta that you like for this one. If you’re feeling really ambitious…try my Easy Homemade Pasta to take this dinner over the top!
• Garlic cloves – Fresh is best in this simple recipe, but you can buy the pre-minced garlic sold in a small jar or use dried garlic flakes or garlic powder.
• Half and Half – You can go heavier with heavy cream or lighter with milk. Half and half is a nice middle ground.
• Parmesan Cheese, grated – You could also use shredded parmesan cheese, but grated will mix and melt into a creamy sauce a lot easier.

Vegetables in this Pasta Primavera

• Asparagus – For your green veggie, you can also use green beans, peas, or zucchini
• Carrots – Peeled regular carrots or even cut up baby carrots
• Corn (2 ears of kernels) – You can also use frozen corn
• Grape Tomatoes – You can also use cherry tomatoes. In a jam, you can cut up any size tomato, just be sure to discard excess liquid

Use Veggies that Your Family Likes!

My biggest advice when it comes to getting kids to eat veggies, is don’t sweat it. If your kids don’t like asparagus, swap in broccoli or another veggie they will eat. That’s what I did here, I used veggies that I know my kids would eat, such as corn and carrots. These may not be traditional in this recipe, but who cares! Make it your own!

Another tip for veggies, is to incorporate them into other recipes. I do this A LOT! I’m not necessarily trying to hide the veggies, but rather, trying to give them another flavor so that my daughters will see that they can be yummy. Here are some of the most successful ways that I’ve done this. My Easy One-Pan Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake with Zucchini cooks all in one casserole dish in the oven, so it really could not be any easier! It’s layered with pasta and sauce on the bottom, then chicken, zucchini, and cheese on top! Or my White Enchilada Casserole with Chicken and Veggies which layers in corn tortillas topped with chicken, onions, peppers, and zucchini, then cheese! How about a Creamy Chicken Sausage and Tortellini Soup with lots of veggies! Finally, try these delicious Lean Beef Meatballs with Zucchini!

Simple Equipment for Roasted Vegetable Pasta Primavera

For roasting the veggies, you need a large sheet pan (I use a 17×11) and a large pot for cooking the pasta and then mixing everything together. I used a dutch oven for this, but any large pot or good quality enameled cast iron 5-6 quart dutch oven is fine.

You will also need a cutting board and knife. And mincing garlic is made super easy with a Garlic Press.

Time saving Prep-Ahead Steps for this Creamy Pasta Primavera

We are all extremely busy and making dinner during the week can be overwhelming. Here are steps you can prepare ahead to save time on busy nights! (See the full recipe below)

Prep all of the Veggies: clean and cut the asparagus, slice the carrots, prep the corn kernels, cut the tomatoes in halves, mince the garlic.

While roasting the veggies is technically a cooking step, you can definitely do this step 2-3 days ahead. NOTE: If you do this ahead, you will want to give them a quick toss in the pot after you drain the pasta, but before you start the sauce, so take the chill off of them before adding them to the pasta at the end.

Preheat the oven to 400 F degrees. To a large baking sheet pan, add the carrots, asparagus, and corn kernels.

Drizzle with the olive oil, salt, and pepper and toss with your hands to coat everything with the oil and seasoning. Roast on the center rack for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and either set aside or store sealed in the fridge until ready to cook the dinner.

Cooking Steps for Roasted Vegetable Pasta Primavera

To save on dishes, I cook everything in the same large pot. Cook your pasta until al dente.

Save 1 cup of pasta water, drain the pasta and set it aside as you make the start of the sauce.

Using the same pasta pot on Medium-Low heat, add the olive oil, garlic, and halved tomatoes. Sautee for 4-5 minutes, stirring so the garlic doesn’t burn. Add the half and half and the reserved cup of pasta water, then stir to combine. Turn the heat off.

With pot removed from the heat, add the pasta and stir to combine. Add the parmesan cheese while stirring it into the pasta to combine. NOTE: make sure the pasta is not steaming hot, as if it’s too hot the cheese will clump. The cheese should combine with the half and half and pasta water to create a creamy sauce. If the pan and pasta are too hot, it will clump, so be careful with the heat.

Finally, add the roasted veggies into the pasta and stir to combine.

Pasta Primavera FAQs

Can this Pasta Primavera be made ahead?Yes, but it will be creamier freshly mixed, so the sauce doesn’t get dried out. You can roast the veggies ahead and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Then when ready, cook the pasta, warm the veggies, and mix the pasta, veggies, and sauce ingredients. If you do make it entirely ahead, you can do so up to 4 days ahead. However, I recommend adding liquid and reheating it slowly on the stove while stirring the liquid in to rehydrate and make it creamy again. For the liquid, you can add ½ cup of half and half, milk, broth, or even just water. Taste for seasoning and add a pinch of salt or a touch more parmesan cheese if needed.

Can I add chicken or shrimp to this Pasta Primavera?Absolutely! If you want to add a protein to this, chicken or shrimp would both be terrific! You would want to either cook them in the pot after draining the pasta and before adding the garlic and tomatoes. Or roast it with the veggies. If you go the roasting route for chicken, add the chicken to the pan first and roast for 10-15 before adding the veggies and roasting then another 15 minutes. For the shrimp, they will roast for the same 15 minutes as the veggies. You can also add strips of steak to this recipe or simply pair the pasta with a chicken breast or piece of grilled steak.

What other roasted vegetables can I add to this Primavera?The short answer is: whatever your family/kids will eat! The longer answer is: try to find a variety of colors and textures, but within the range of what your family will actually eat. Veggies that work with the roasting instructions here are red pepper, peas, zucchini, yellow squash, radishes, broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, green beans, brussels sprouts, mushrooms, parsnips, beets, eggplant, or even radicchio. Cut up the veggies into similar sizes and total quantity as the ones in my recipe and enjoy!