Pasta Primavera
with Lemon Parm Sauce, Bell Pepper, Zucchini & Peas
- Wheat
- Milk
Craving a rich pasta dish but also a bounty of veggies? Thanks to this recipe, you don’t have to choose between the two. Here, you’ll find al dente penne pasta, green peas, and roasted bell pepper and zucchini, all tossed in a creamy, dreamy sauce that’s brightened with lemon juice and made aromatic with Italian herbs. Each plate is showered with grated Parmesan for an im-pasta-bly delicious dinner.
Ingredients
1 unit
Red Bell Pepper
1 unit
Zucchini
2 unit
Scallions
1 unit
Lemon
6 ounce
Penne Pasta
(Contains: Wheat)
1 tablespoon
Tuscan Heat Spice
4 ounce
Cream Sauce Base
(Contains: Milk)
2 tablespoon
Crème Fraîche
(Contains: Milk)
1 unit
Veggie Stock Concentrate
4 ounce
Peas
3 tablespoon
Parmesan Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
Not included in your delivery
Salt
Pepper
1 teaspoon
Cooking Oil
1 teaspoon
Olive Oil
1 tablespoon
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce. • Halve, core, and thinly slice bell pepper. Trim and halve zucchini lengthwise; slice crosswise into ½-inch-thick half-moons. Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens. Zest and quarter lemon.
• Toss bell pepper and zucchini on a baking sheet with a drizzle of oil, salt, and pepper. Roast on top rack until tender and lightly charred, 15-18 minutes.
• Once water is boiling, add penne to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. • Reserve 1½ cups pasta cooking water (2 cups for 4 servings), then drain. (Keep empty pot handy for next step.)
• Heat a drizzle of olive oil in pot used for pasta over medium heat. Add scallion whites and 1 tsp Tuscan Heat Spice (2 tsp for 4 servings); cook, stirring, 1 minute. (Be sure to measure the Tuscan Heat Spice; we sent more.) • Whisk in cream sauce base, stock concentrate, and ¼ cup reserved pasta cooking water (½ cup for 4). Cook, whisking, until slightly thickened, 2-3 minutes. • Reduce heat to medium low and whisk in crème fraîche until smooth.
• Add drained penne, peas, half the Parmesan (save the rest for serving), half the lemon zest, 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings), and a big squeeze of lemon juice to pot with sauce. Cook, stirring, until butter has melted and penne is coated in a creamy sauce. TIP: If needed, stir in more reserved pasta cooking water a splash at a time. • Stir in roasted veggies. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Add more lemon zest or lemon juice if you like. TIP: For an extra-rich experience, stir in another 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4).
• Divide pasta between plates or shallow bowls. Top with scallion greens and remaining Parmesan. Serve with any remaining lemon wedges on the side.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the lemony, creamy sauce; some found it needed more seasoning or garlic for depth 🍋
- Ease of prep: Generally easy to make, though a few found it time-consuming or had trouble with instructions
- Suggestions: Consider sautéing veggies instead of roasting; try adding protein like chicken or shrimp
- Portions: Generous servings; some found it filling while others wanted more veggies relative to pasta
- Veggies: Mixed opinions on peas; some suggested swapping green bell pepper for red or adding mushrooms
Reviews from our home cooks
Wow, this pasta primavera recipe was fantastic. Two minor changes: I added about half of a chopped Hatch chile (we buy in bulk, roasted, and freeze them for use throughout the year) to the scallion whites when frying them. And I went with the four serving version for the sauce to increase its volume because who doesn't like extra sauce?
Very pleasantly surprised with this recipe. The sauce was amazing. Not a huge fan of bell pepper, but the zucchini and peas in the pasta were great.
I really like this recipe but there are some changes that would make it better. First way too many of your recipes include zucchini. I eliminated this ingredient because I do not like this vegetable. In addition, the peas provided just looked sad. Half mushed and the wrong color of green for peas. As a "primavera" it should look fresh. I also opted to not roast the peppers as I wanted a more fresh taste.
I loved the spice blend in this. That really made the dish stand out from other pasta primaveras.
This was so good, and very filling, and we even have leftovers! I changed the cooking up a bit, opting to saute the pepper and zucchini in some olive oil on the stove, instead of heating up the oven. I added the peas to that mixture, then tossed all of that into pasta after coating it with the sauce. Yummy!
Trying a new recipe with zucchini on a pasta and how it complemented the red peppers and peas was so delicious. Thank you for making amazing actual delicious easy practical recipes
I really liked the addition of peas and zuchinni to the bell pepper in this recipe. I think it wouldve been even tastier if the roux were cooked first before the other additions.
Excellent meal! The sweet peppers and peas add an interesting blend of flavors to the pasta. And it is so easy to prepare.
I liked the zucchini and fried it in a pan with olive oil instead of in the oven - for much longer than recommended because toasty zucchini is the best. I liked the large amount of zucchini in this recipe. I did not include peas or bell pepper in the recipe.
Excellent. I fried up some chicken in light flower before following the recipe card steps. I didn't add peas because Darin doesn't like them. I also didn't add lemon because Darin doesn't like lemon and I love lemon. We both liked the meal a lot.
