- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
What you’ll need — tap to tick off as you go
- 400 g
- 3 tbsp
- 3 cloves
- 250 g
- 150 g
- 50 g
- 1 tsp
- ½ tsp
Process
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Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the salt and the penne pasta. Cook according to package instructions until al dente, about 11 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta.
While the pasta cooks, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant, stirring constantly.
Add the red bell pepper and zucchini to the skillet. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender but still crisp.
Add the cherry tomatoes and frozen peas to the skillet. Cook for another 3 minutes, until the tomatoes start to soften and release their juices.
Add the drained penne pasta to the skillet. Pour in the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss everything together over medium heat for 2 minutes, allowing the sauce to coat the pasta. Add more pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce.
Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the fresh basil leaves and grated parmesan cheese. Season with black pepper and additional salt if needed.
Serve immediately, topped with extra parmesan cheese if desired.
Kitchen notes
Kitchen notes
- The most common mistake is adding the pasta straight from the colander without reserving water first. Always scoop out 1 cup of the starchy cooking water before draining, because that liquid is what makes the olive oil and parmesan cling to the penne instead of pooling at the bottom of the pan.
- Cook the vegetables only until tender but still crisp, about 5 to 7 minutes for the pepper and zucchini. If they turn soft and dull before the tomatoes go in, they will collapse completely during the final 2-minute toss and the dish will taste mushy.
- Keep the garlic moving constantly for its 1 minute in the pan and pull it as soon as it smells sweet and fragrant. Garlic goes from golden to bitter in seconds, and burnt garlic will ruin the whole skillet of vegetables.
- Add the basil and parmesan only after the skillet is off the heat. Direct heat turns basil black and makes parmesan clump into rubbery strings, so stir them in at the very end and serve within a few minutes.
Substitutions
- penne pasta→fusilli, rigatoni, or farfalle, cooked to the same al dente timing on the package
- red bell pepper→yellow or orange bell pepper, or 1 cup of sliced green beans
- frozen peas→frozen edamame or frozen lima beans, cooked the same 3 minutes
- grated parmesan cheese→grated pecorino romano or a vegetarian hard Italian-style grating cheese
Storage & reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. For freezing, portion into freezer-safe containers and keep for up to 2 months, though the vegetables will soften on thawing. Reheat in a covered skillet over medium-low heat with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water, or in the microwave in 30-second bursts until steaming, about 2 minutes total; do not reheat above medium heat or the pasta will toughen.
Gallery
FAQ
The questions we get asked most
Why did my pasta primavera turn out dry and sticky?
You likely drained the pasta without reserving enough cooking water, so there was no starch to bind the olive oil into a sauce. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water added in step 5, plus more if needed. Toss over medium heat for the full 2 minutes so the liquid emulsifies and coats every piece of penne.
Can I make pasta primavera ahead of time for a weeknight dinner?
You can chop the bell pepper and zucchini and mince the garlic up to 1 day ahead and keep them in the fridge. For best texture, boil the pasta and cook the vegetables fresh, since the dish is ready in about 20 minutes total. If you must assemble early, cook everything, cool it quickly, and reheat gently with a splash of water.
How do I know when the penne is al dente?
Bite a piece at the 10-minute mark; it should be tender with a slight firmness at the center, no raw chalky taste. The recipe suggests about 11 minutes, but start checking 1 minute early because stoves and brands vary. The pasta will soften a little more during the final 2-minute toss in the skillet.
Can I use canned or frozen vegetables instead of fresh?
Frozen peas are already used in this recipe and work perfectly, added straight from frozen in step 4. Canned bell peppers or zucchini are too soft and watery and will make the sauce soggy, so use fresh or frozen for those. If using frozen pepper and zucchini, add them without thawing and reduce the cooking time by 1 to 2 minutes.
Why did my garlic burn and taste bitter?
The pan was too hot or the garlic cooked longer than the 1 minute in step 2. Use medium heat, add the garlic to the oil only when it shimmers, and stir constantly. If it starts browning deeply, remove the pan from the heat immediately and start the garlic over rather than continuing.
Can I leave out the parmesan cheese to make this dairy-free?
Yes, simply omit the parmesan and finish with an extra pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon for brightness. The olive oil and pasta water still form a light sauce without it. If you want a similar salty finish, use a dairy-free grated hard cheese alternative.
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