Ahhh summer! I certainly have veggies on my mind lately as my garden starts to flourish, farmers markets are everywhere, and every time I shop at Lee’s Marketplace I find the BEST local produce. My garden is pretty small so I love knowing that I can find whatever it lacks when I shop at Lee’s! I wanted to make something this week that was full of fresh vegetables, kid-approved, and didn’t require my oven because it’s just too hot outside. My Creamy Pasta Primavera checked all those boxes and then some!
From start to finish it took me only 45 minutes to make. The thing that took the longest was chopping the vegetables but that’s the fun part anyway! It probably sounds crazy to some but I think chopping veggies, herbs, chocolate, fruit, etc is so therapeutic. The creamy alfredo sauce is divine and will be your new go-to for sure. Creamy Pasta Primavera is a super easy, delicious meal and it makes a lot!
Ingredient Substitutions
You can make this your own with whatever vegetables or fresh herbs you like. The vegetables I used for this version were bell peppers, broccoli, yellow squash, carrots, mushrooms and fresh parsley. You can also make this vegetarian and leave out the chicken. I do that often for the perfect meatless meal!
VEGETABLE AND HERB SUBSTITUTIONS:
Green beans
Asparagus
Zucchini
Onions
Tomatoes
Rosemary
Basil
How to Make Creamy Pasta Primavera
First, melt butter in a large skillet then add vegetables. I love this countertop electric skillet because it is large and works so well.
Sauté the vegetables until desired tenderness, about 5-10 minutes then add garlic, cream cheese, heavy cream and parmesan cheese.
Once the cheese is melted and the mixture is creamy, add in the cooked pasta, fresh parsley, and rotisserie chicken.
Dinner is served! This is one of our favorite family meals and I hope you love it too. I love that it’s so versatile and I can use what is in season or in my fridge. Enjoy!
Creamy Pasta Primavera
Ingredients
- 16 oz penne or bowtie pasta
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced into 2 inch pieces
- 2 cups fresh broccoli florets
- 1 yellow squash, sliced into half-moons
- 3/4 cup shredded carrots (or matchstick)
- 8 oz button or cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1 pint heavy cream
- 1 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 teaspoon salt
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions, drain, set aside.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, broccoli, squash, carrots and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until crisp tender.
- Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add cream cheese, heavy cream, Parmesan, salt and pepper to the vegetable mixture. Stir for a few minutes until everything melts and thickens a little.
- Add parsley and chicken then stir to combine. Add drained pasta and stir until pasta is coated in sauce. Garnish wish more parsley and Parmesan if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Many different vegetables can be subbed or added to those used in this recipe such as green beans, asparagus, zucchini, red onion, and tomatoes as well as other herbs such as rosemary or basil.
- Make this vegetarian by omitting the chicken.
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