I'm totally a sucker for one-pot meals. I mean, fewer dishes? Less fuss and muss (whatever "muss" is)? I'm in. So when I saw one-pot pasta floating around Pinterest awhile back, I was intrigued. I made Martha Stewart's version pretty much immediately, and I loved it. And, because I'm a food blogger and this is what I do, I tweaked and fiddled. This One-Pot Pasta Primavera is one of my favorite outcomes so far.
I love the concept of one-pot pasta. Essentially, you put all the ingredients into the pot, including the uncooked pasta and water (or broth). And then you cook, tossing constantly, for several minutes, until most of the liquid has cooked off and the pasta and accompanying veggies are tender, perfect, and saucy.
This One-Pot Pasta Primavera is perfect for spring. With tender asparagus tips, broccoli florets, and a smattering of peas, it's got lots of green to go around. Onions, mushrooms, garlic, and parsley add a little more oomph and flavor. True to classic Pasta Primavera form, we make it a tad creamy by ending with a bit of cream (just a splash!) and a sprinkle of grated Parmesan.
A few tips for one-pot pasta success:
- Use a heavy, roomy pot. There will be lots of stirring and tossing.
- If you have them, use long-handled tongs. Short handles keep you a little too close to the heat. Ouch!
- Select a dried pasta that has a cooking time of between 9-11 minutes. Otherwise, you may end up with under-cooked pasta, or worse, mushy mush.
- Once it starts boiling, be sure to toss and stir constantly! Otherwise the pasta will start sticking, and clean-up might make you sad.
This post was originally published on March 17, 2014.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 8 ounces linguine uncooked
- 1 small onion halved and sliced thin
- 1 pound broccoli crowns cut into large florets (about 2 cups)
- 1 ½ pounds asparagus ends snapped off and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 4 ounces sliced white button mushrooms about 1 cup
- 4 large cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes less for milder heat; more to increase heat
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¾ cup frozen peas
- 1 small handful fresh parsley chopped (about ½ cup chopped)
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
- Additional salt and pepper to taste
- Additional Parmesan cheese for serving if desired
Instructions
- Add the broth, linguine, onion, broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to a large pot set over high heat. Drizzle the olive oil over the top.
- As soon as it comes to a boil, set the timer for 7 minutes and start tossing constantly with long-handled tongs.
- Continue boiling and tossing. As soon as the 7 minutes is up, add the peas, parsley, heavy whipping cream, Parmesan, and lemon zest and continue cooking, tossing constantly, for 1-2 more minutes, until the pasta and veggies appear tender. Remove from heat.
- Note that much of the liquid will have evaporated, but not all. And that's okay! Let the pasta sit for a couple of minutes to cool; the sauce will continue to thicken during that time. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if desired. Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese.
Heather E says
I love the one-pot idea, and this one is the best of the ones I've tried so far! Delish!!
Kare Troughton says
Thanks, Heather! So glad you liked it!
Shirley says
Love this one-pot idea! And I have both asparagus and broccoli in the fridge, so I think this is happening soon.
Kare Troughton says
Don't you love when you have exactly what you need in the fridge for a recipe?! It's like fate. 🙂 Anything that saves me from a trip to the grocery store, I'm on board with.
Shirley says
So I didn't make it when I had all the ingredients last time, but I made it yesterday and loved it! Used whole wheat pasta and nixed the 'shrooms because I don't like them, but otherwise kept it the same. So easy, and I like washing only one pot.
I've also been making quesadillas a lot since your post. I like the corn & wheat tortillas from Trader Joe's, with TJ's cowboy caviar salsa and Monterey Jack. I've also used TJ's Zucchini & Eggplant Melange for a different take. I still have to try that brie & pear combo.
Amanda says
I just made this pasta dish last night. It came out perfect and was sooo easy to make. Can't wait to eat the leftovers for lunch!
Kare Troughton says
Yay! I'm so glad you liked it!!!
Laura @ The Table blog says
I tried this on Monday without the asparagus, since the stuff at the store did not look very good. I just upped the amount of the other veggies a bit and it was great!
No usually a fan of creamy sauces, but this one was perfect. Not too heavy and very flavorful.
Kare Troughton says
Hi Laura, so glad you liked it! Good to know it still turns out great without the asparagus. Now I have an excuse to make it all year 'round! 😉
Libby says
Made this last night, it was amazing. My husband who loves meat even really enjoyed it. I was surprised how much we all loved it, 2 and 5 year old ate every bite too. It's a winner! Super easy clean up too
Kare Troughton says
I'm so glad the whole family liked it. I know how satisfying that can be - winning over the meat-eaters AND the kids is always a victory!
Emma says
I made this for friends last night and it was SO GOOD! It's the perfect dinner party meal- so quick and simple to make, and appears to be more complicated than it really is. Awesome, thank you!
Kare Troughton says
So happy to hear that! Yeah, I really am in love with its simplicity. I just want to come up with more, more, more variations now! 🙂
Jill says
Made this tonight and we all loved it! My carnivore husband and finicky son both complemented it, so I know it is a winner. Great recipe, thanks!
Kare Troughton says
Yay! Thanks!!
Sherry says
Made this today. Substituted a large shallot for the onion. Otherwise, followed the recipe. Magnificent!!! A rare combination of easy, good for you and delicious!!!
Kare Troughton says
Oooh, a shallot sounds perfect. So glad you liked it! 🙂
Emily says
I've made this twice now and I think it's official in our dinner rotation! I made the mistake of adding too much broth last time and corrected it in the second. Soooo good!
I used goat cheese instead of the cream, just happened to be what I had on hand.
Thanks for sharing!
Kare Troughton says
Oh goodness, goat cheese sounds like a divine substitution. That tang probably just sends it over the top!
Megan says
Can you tell me how many calories per serving size this meal is?
Kare Troughton says
Hi Megan, we generally don't provide specific nutrition info here but we love this tool for quick & easy recipe analysis: http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php
Laura says
I just made this and it was so good! I didn't have asparagus, but I used 1 yellow squash, 1 zucchini, the peas, and I added about 1.5 cups of halved cherry tomatoes. I don't like onions so I left that out, but it was still full of flavor! I just sent the recipe to my mom 🙂 Thanks for this easy, yummy recipe!
Kare Troughton says
This sounds so good! So glad you liked it. 🙂
Emily C says
This looks lovely! Do you have a healthier alternative to cream?
Kare Troughton says
Hi Emily, I think instead of suggesting a substitute, I'd recommend just leaving the cream out entirely. There's so little of it in this recipe that it won't make or break it - and the flavors should still be terrific! If you try it, please let us know how you like it!
darci says
i can't even talk about how good this is! thanks!
Kare Troughton says
So glad you like it!!!
Erica says
Loved this! Delicious and healthy and quite easy to make. My 8 year old son was a big fan, too!
Casey says
Made this tonight after pinning it as a one pot recipe; so happy I did! I only had 2 cups broth so had to sub water and it still came out so flavorful and fresh! Looks and tastes like something complicated but yet it's so easy and you get plenty of veggies in every bite:)
Bella says
Made it last night and me and my bf loved it! I left out the mushrooms and peas and substituted them with artichoke hearts and snow peas! I also didnt had any parmesan on hand so i used old gouda! It was absolutely delicous and will definately not be the last one pot pasta i made! Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe! 🙂
Samantha says
We just made this tonight and it was delicious! We made a vegan version by using almond milk instead of whipping cream, and adding about half a cup of nutritional yeast. We also used lemon juice instead of zest (since we didn't have any fresh lemons). I really must say, it turned out great! We will definitely be making it again soon. 🙂
Aimee says
Hi I would love to make this, but not quite sure what vegetable broth is and if I can buy it in the supermarket? Otherwise can I just substitute with water? x
AJ says
While I can't speak to how this tastes when you use water, you can definitely buy vegetable broth in the supermarket! Around me, it comes in boxes. Just look in the same aisle as the one that has canned soup in your market.
Clauda says
Vegetable broth is the water in which you boil vegetables
AJ says
Just made this for dinner tonight! It was my first one-pot meal, and it was amazing. So good that I had to have a second helping, and now I'm in a bit of a food coma. I could definitely make this for company. Right into the rotation it goes. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Elizabeth says
Wow this is so simple and delicious. One of my favorite recipes in a long time! Thanks!
Bridget says
easy and delicious! I did stir in a (large) spoon of store-bought pesto because we like pesto in everything, and it was perfect! Thank you so much.
Ming Scribner says
Great dish! Lots of flavor. If you don't like heat in your dish, cut back on the red pepper flakes. I wanted to have my toddler try this dish but thought it was too spicy for him
Liz says
I know this is a vegetarian blog, but for someone who's not totally vegetarian but just likes to eat (mostly) meatless sometimes, do you think this recipe would work with chicken broth? That's all I have, and I'd rather not have to make a trip to the store!
Kiersten Frase says
It should work just fine! 🙂
Amy Connolly says
Hi there,
Do you think I could sub whole milk or lower fat milk for the whipping cream?
Clauda says
Wow! I just did this last night with great expectations, and it is amazing! how easy it is! I used basil instead of parsley (I forgot to get parsley at the store earlier) and it worked just fine. I still need to define how much salt I need to use but overall I love this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing!