Pasta Primavera
Summer is my favorite season! It’s nice and warm, I wear light clothes, the landscape is colorful 🌹🌸, I have my garden with herbs and vegetables, I’m physically more active, there are festivals and events everywhere, barbecuing is in full swing, plus there’s an abundance of produce around us.
The freshness of the ingredients enhance any dish or recipe. That’s probably why people eat more salads 🥗! I have a long list of favorites when it comes to “summer salads”. I think of Creamy Coleslaw, Strawberry Salad, Bacon Wedge, Greek Salad, Tabbouleh, Crab Louie Salad, Salade Lyonnaise, and the list goes on.
Another one that is perfect for this season is Pasta Primavera! This is an incredible dish! With fresh vegetables such as carrots 🥕, broccoli florets and frozen peas all lightly steamed along with more vegetables, a lovely Italian vinaigrette and cheese, this pasta dish is totally a crowd pleaser!
I quickly steam the veggies by starting with the carrot (1 minute), followed by the broccoli (2 minutes) and lastly the peas (1 minute). They’re not raw but not really cooked either. They’re just soft. Quickly steaming them for a few minutes ⏳ helps to make them tender and more enjoyable when serving the dish. The other remaining vegetables are fine as is.
When it comes to using raw onions 🧅, many will discard them due to their bitterness. Here’s a quick trick to mellow their taste. Prep the onions as called for in the recipe and then submerge them in a bowl of very cold water. Quickly swirl them around and leave them there for 30 minutes. Drain and proceed with your recipe.
I’ve been making this Pasta Primavera for decades! Throughout the years, I’ve used different short noodles such as rotini, campanelle, fusilli, macaroni or cavatappi, farfalle, penne, gemelli, etc. My preference is between penne, cavatappi, and rotini especially the tri-color ones.
It doesn’t matter if I film 🎥 a pasta salad recipe or not, the noodles have to be drained and cooled off before using them. To prevent them from sticking and turning into a gluey mess, I pour a little oil over, gently toss them, add more oil and toss again until the pasta is lightly coated.
Although the name of this summer dish sounds Italian, it was in fact created here in North America. According to Wikipedia, the place of origin states both Canada and the United States… There’s uncertainty about who really came up with it 🤔.
One of the “creators” was the New York restaurateur Sirio Maccioni, owner of Le Cirque which I had the chance to dine at a few times back in the late 80s and 90s. He apparently created this recipe while staying over at Baron Carlo Amato’s summer residence in Nova Scotia 🍁. Others who claim is theirs were an amateur cook, Maccioni’s wife as well as chef Franco Brigandi.
With all the turmoil of those who wanted to assert the right to the dish, this is a tasty recipe 🤩! Since it’s first appearance, it has been tweaked and I’m no exception. Instead of a cream sauce, I use my Italian Vinaigrette. It wraps the ingredients up so well together.
Colorful and so delicious, this Pasta Primavera is ideal to serve this summer! With fresh ingredients, this is a delightful recipe to add to your folder. It’s healthy 💚 and makes a perfect side for your summer barbecues, ideal for picnics or potlucks!
Bon Appétit! 🍽
Check out these other amazing salad recipes… 😀
– Classic French Carrot Salad
– Israeli Salad
– Salade Niçoise
– Grilled Shrimp Summer Salad
– Moroccan Potato Salad
– Jicama Mango Pepper Salad
– Classic Pasta Salad
and for even more salad recipes 🥗, click on this link… Recipe Category • Salads & Dressings
Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel 📽 by clicking on this link… Club Foody YouTube
Pasta Primavera
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Ingredients
- 16 oz. tri-color rotini (substitute penne rigate), cooked and drained
- 1 cup carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup red peppers, diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 English cucumber, peeled and quartered
- 1 can (2.25 oz./64 g) sliced black olives, drained
- 1/4 cup red onions, finely chopped
- ground Himalayan pink salt, to taste if needed
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste (I always use mixed peppercorns)
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 1/2 cup Italian vinaigrette see Recipe
- 1 1/2 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley, for garnish tips & tricks
Directions
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and allow to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, in a wide skillet, place a steam basket and add water, just enough to reach the bottom of it; bring to a boil.
- Add carrots, cover and steam for 1 minute. To this, add broccoli florets, cover and steam for 2 minutes before adding frozen peas. Cover and steam for 1 minute.
- Carefully transfer the veggies to a large bowl and allow to cool completely.
- Once cooled, add pasta to a large bowl. Add steamed veggies, red peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and onions. Toss well before seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Add cheese and pour the vinaigrette over; toss again. Sprinkle on fresh chopped parsley and serve.
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