Pasta Primavera with Asparagus and Peas
Blanched asparagus, peas, and blistered cherry tomatoes tossed with pasta in a light lemon-parmesan cream — built around whatever's freshest, not a specific vegetable.
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Written
Method
-
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until just shy of al dente, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water before draining.
-
Blanch the asparagus and peas in the same pot for 90 seconds, until bright green, then scoop out with a slotted spoon.
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Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
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Add the cherry tomatoes and cook until they start to blister and slump, about 3 minutes.
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Pour in the white wine and simmer until reduced by half.
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Stir in the cream and bring to a gentle simmer.
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Add the drained pasta, blanched vegetables, and a splash of the reserved pasta water, tossing until the sauce clings and coats every piece.
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Off the heat, stir in the parmesan, lemon zest and juice, and basil, adding more pasta water if the sauce looks thin or tight.
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Season with salt and pepper and serve right away, with extra parmesan at the table.
Notes
The dish lives or dies on restraint — the cream is a background note, not the point, cut with starchy pasta water so it clings instead of pooling into an alfredo. Blanch the vegetables separately and fold them in at the end so they keep some bite instead of going gray and soft.
Swap in whatever quick-cooking vegetable is actually good this week — snap peas, broccoli florets, or thin ribbons of zucchini all work the same way. Leftovers reheat fine with a splash of water to loosen the sauce back up.