“Primavera” means “spring” in Italian. Pasta primavera is a celebration of the season, embellishing pasta of any type with fresh vegetables rich in vitamins and antioxidants. Classic primavera sauce is based on a coating of garlic and olive oil, and finished with Parmesan cheese, but versions based on a rich white sauce are also common – this recipe brings you the best of both, with the added bonus of being low in fat.
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Preparation Time
10 minutes
Cooking Time
15 minutes
Difficulty Rating
1
Serves
4
Ingredients
- 2 cups / 240 gm fresh vegetables, cut into bite-sized pieces*
- 4 oz / 115 gm dry pasta (i.e. linguini, fettuccine, penne, farfalle)
- 12 oz (1½ cups) / 360 ml organic soy or Greek yogurt
- ½ cup / 120 ml organic grass-fed or vegan milk
- 2 Tbsp. / 10 gm grated Parmesan cheese or finely ground pine nuts
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, pressed or chopped (or ¼ tsp powder)
- 5 tsp. / 25 ml olive oil
- Salt to taste
Directions
- Cook the pasta: in a medium-sized pan, add 1 quart of water, 1 tsp oil, and a pinch of salt; bring to a boil.Add the pasta to the boiling water, and cook until tender, about 10-15 minutes.
- Cook the vegetables: There are two choices, steaming on a stove or in a microwave oven.:
- Stove: Place vegetables in a steamer or adapted saucepan with water up to the holes, and cook on high heat until just tender, about 10 minutes.
- Microwave: Place the vegetables in a heat-safe glass bowl, cover partially, and heat on high until just tender, about 5 minutes.
- While the vegetables are cooking, prepare the sauce
- In a small pan over medium heat, toast the garlic in the olive oil until golden (if garlic powder is used, just heat the oil).
- Remove from heat and stir in the yogurt, milk, and cheese or ground pine nuts (and garlic powder, if used).
- Remove the pasta and vegetables from heat, drain well.
- In a serving dish, blend all ingredients together until the pasta and vegetables are well-coated with the sauce, and serve immediately.
* This is an excellent solution for leftover vegetables or “orphan” vegetables that need to be eaten before shopping day. Note that if the vegetables to be used are already cooked, they need only be reheated in the microwave for 2-3 minutes before blending with the pasta and sauce.
Serving Size: 1 cup
What’s the carb protein fat rating for this recipe?
None
Hi, Maxidog and loveourdogs. Upping the olive oil is fine, too.
Hi, Irishesla. Regular skim milk has components that may work against your goals here. If you do not have access to organic, grass-fed, or pastured-milk (or it is unreasonably priced), try 2%.
The yogurt and milk just turn me off. What else could you moisten it with?
will try sounds good
Why “organic grass-fed” milk – skim milk doesn’t work?
I would rely like to try this but I cannot eat yogurt would the alternative be the same as below
A cup is equal to 300 g cut chicken.
You can always add chopped cooked chicken breast to this for more protein.
only just started this plan it says cup in recipe what size or mesure is a cup please
Nutritional values will be added to the recipes in the future, with a focus on protein, carbohydrates, and fats.
Patricia, there are many vegan alternatives that can be used. In this recipe, for example, instead of the yogurt, milk, and cheese, you can soak 2 cups of cashew nuts in water overnight, drain, and puree them with 1/2 up of unflavored rice milk; then add 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast.
where do you find the nutritional values / counts on these receipes?
For those who tried That recipe didn’t you feel hungry as there are not much protein in that? just a little bit of cheese?
I tried this recipe and the yogurt/milk/cheese sauce tasted horrible. Luckily, I tasted the sauce before I added it to the vegetables and the pasta. Instead, I sauted garlic in olive oil, added the vegetables and pasta, then sprinkled in the Parmesan cheese. I also sprinkled in some lemon juice. It was heavenly!
I don’t do any dairy and did not include any in my menu planner but many of the recipes suggested are with dairy products. What do you suggest. Thanks.