Recipes › Pea › Spring Pasta Primavera with Sugar Snap Peas
Spring Pasta Primavera with Sugar Snap Peas
A light, vegetable-packed pasta built on the spring garden: sugar snap peas, asparagus, and peas tossed with pasta, a bright lemon-butter sauce, and plenty of Parmesan. This is the opposite of a heavy pasta — it's energizing and fresh, with the snap peas providing crunch against the tender pasta. A perfect dinner for the first warm nights of spring.
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Ingredients
- ¾ lb sugar snap peas, strings removed, halved on the diagonal
- 12 oz pasta, penne, farfalle, or rigatoni
- ½ lb asparagus, woody ends snapped off, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lemon, juiced and zested
- ¾ cup Parmesan cheese, grated, plus more for serving
- ¼ cup fresh basil, torn
- 1 tsp salt
Contains: milk, cereals gluten.
Method
- Cook pasta in heavily salted water. Add asparagus in the last 3 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain.About 12 min
- In the same pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add snap peas and cook 2 minutes — they should stay crisp.About 4 min
- Return pasta and asparagus to the pot. Add peas, lemon juice, and zest. Toss with a splash of pasta water. Add Parmesan and toss until the sauce is glossy and creamy.About 4 min
- Taste and adjust seasoning. Scatter basil over the top. Serve with extra Parmesan.About 2 min
Tips
- Add the snap peas last so they stay crisp — they only need 2 minutes of gentle heat.
- Pasta water is the secret to a silky sauce — don't skip it.
- A handful of fresh mint alongside the basil is a beautiful addition.
Ring the changes
- Add pan-seared salmon or shrimp for a complete meal.
- Make it vegan with olive oil instead of butter and nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan.
Keeping it
Refrigerate leftovers for up to 2 days. Reheat with a splash of water.
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