Light Lemon Pasta Primavera

Light lemon pasta primavera is the perfect spring main dish to feed a crowd. Packed full of delicious crunchy spring vegetables and tossed in a light lemon butter sauce. This simple healthy meal will quickly become a family favorite this spring! 

We recently had our first taste of Spring here in Utah. It only lasted 24 hours but who’s counting? (me. I am counting) We spent the majority of our day soaking up the 70 degree sunshine outdoors and all went to bed with a slight pink tint to our skin. It instantly had me dreaming of dinners al fresco. There really is no other place I’d rather be than around our patio dining table with my favorite people. Delicious fresh food, the warmth of the evening air and the sounds of spring speak to my soul.

Some of my favorite fruits and vegetables are at their peak during spring harvest.

• Artichokes
• Asparagus
• Avocados
• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Celery
• Fresh herbs
• Garlic
• Peas
• Pineapple
• Spinach
• Strawberries

Eating seasonally means you are experiencing produce in their prime and nothing can compare to those flavors, making this a great time to introduce new fruits and vegetables to your family.

Five Reasons to Eat Seasonally

There are so many reasons why I prefer to eat seasonally. Here are five reasons you should too…

• Fresh tastes better. Food that is in season is most likely grown close to home, meaning it doesn’t have to travel far to make it into your kitchen. Preserving the freshness and the nutritional value but most importantly the taste.
• Support your local farmers. Shopping at your local farmers market helps support your home economy, creates community support and builds a lasting relationship between farmers and consumers.
• Save money. Planning your meals around seasonal produce can save you loads of money in the long run. Because seasonal produce is in abundance most markets will run sales to keep it moving.
• Nutritional variety. Seasonal eating is a great way to increase your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables. Produce purchased in season is more likely to be eaten closer to harvest, preserving many of its vitamins and nutrients.
• Try something new. I love seeing new varieties of fruits and vegetables at the farmers market and always try to leave with one new to us option. This is another great way to introduce new foods to your family.

What is Pasta Primavera?

In Italian primavera means spring style, referring to fresh vegetables. So, pasta primavera is simply spring vegetables of seasonal variety paired with your favorite pasta cooked al dente then tossed together in a light and buttery fresh herb sauce. Pasta perfection in my opinion. Wouldn’t you agree? Butter and pasta has to be one of my all time favorite combinations and this recipe is at the tip top of my favorites list!

How To make Light Lemon Pasta Primavera

This easy Light Lemon Pasta Primavera is quick and simple with just a few fresh ingredients. It takes about 20 minutes from start to finish, making it perfect for busy weeknight dinners or simple meal prep.

1. Start by cooking your pasta to al dente. I like to use fettuccine noodles for this recipe as they tend to blend best with the spiralized squash.
2. Prep your vegetables and herbs, set aside. We will be adding these in stages based on cook times.
3. Sweat your squash zoodles by laying them out on paper towels and sprinkling with salt to pull out any excess moisture before cooking.
4. Melt your Plugrá® butter in a large sauce pan over medium low heat. Add garlic, shallots and herbs and cook until fragrant.
5. Add olive oil and asparagus and sauté until asparagus is crisp tender, about 5-7 minutes.
6. Drain fettuccine reserving 1/4 cup of the water and rinse well.
7. Turn heat to medium-low and add lemon juice, frozen peas and spiralized squash to the sauce pan and toss with tongs. Allow squash to soften before adding fettuccine.
8. Add fettuccine and toss to coat. If the pasta is too dry add a bit of reserved pasta water to the sauce pan one tablespoon at a time, or a bit more butter, I won’t tell.
9. Add shredded parmesan and salt and pepper to taste.
10. Transfer pasta primavera to a plate or platter and sprinkle with more fresh parmesan and parsley for garnish.
11. DEVOUR!

QUALITY INGREDIENTS IN PASTA PRIMAVERA

If I’m going to eat pasta, its going to be worth it. Meaning, I choose the best possible ingredients available to me. Splurgggggge.

• If you can find homemade pasta, use it. I like de cecco brand available here.
• Fresh local produce and herbs bring flavors and a dimension that is unbeatable.
• Rich premium Plugrá butter, slow churned with real milk from American dairy farms seals the deal with its creamy delicious flavor. Regular butter is 80% butterfat and higher in moisture while Plugrá is 82% butterfat and lower in moisture resulting in a much more flavorful dish.
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese is hands down more flavorful than packaged. Load up.

My taste buds want to do a happy dance! This recipe is fabulous all by itself, but would be delicious served as side with grilled chicken or steak. Perfect for a crowd or meal prep for the week. I can’t wait to make this dish again, the MOST perfect spring recipe just made its debut… ENJOY!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Kroger and Plugrà. All opinions expressed are my own.