Pasta Primavera With Asparagus and Peas

By Melissa Clark

Updated April 10, 2025

Pasta Primavera With Asparagus and Peas
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
5(8,654)
Comments
Read comments

This simple pasta primavera uses a combination of the earliest vegetables available in spring — asparagus, peas and spring onions — making it a true celebration of the season. The sauce works best with springy egg pasta, preferably homemade or a good purchased brand. Make sure not to overcook it; you need the chewy bite to stand up to the gently cooked vegetables. If you can’t find good fresh English peas, you can substitute frozen peas, but don’t add them until the last minute of cooking.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • ¼pound sugar snap peas, stems trimmed
  • ½pound asparagus, ends snapped
  • 2tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ¾cup fresh English peas
  • ¼cup thinly sliced spring onion, white part only (or use shallot)
  • 2garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • ½teaspoon fine sea salt, more as needed
  • Black pepper, more as needed
  • 12ounces fettuccine or tagliatelle, preferably fresh (see recipe)
  • ⅔cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, at room temperature
  • ½cup crème fraîche or whole milk Greek yogurt, at room temperature
  • 3tablespoons finely chopped parsley
  • 1tablespoon finely chopped tarragon
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

579 calories; 19 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 77 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 25 grams protein; 605 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over medium-high heat.

  2. Step 2

    While the water is coming to a boil, slice snap peas and asparagus stems into ¼-inch-thick pieces; leave asparagus tips whole.

  3. Step 3

    Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add snap peas, asparagus, English peas and onion. Cook until vegetables are barely tender (but not too soft or mushy), 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute more. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.

  4. Step 4

    Drop pasta into boiling water and cook until al dente (1 to 3 minutes for fresh pasta, more for dried pasta). Drain well and transfer pasta to a large bowl. Immediately toss pasta with vegetables, Parmigiano-Reggiano, crème fraîche and herbs. Season generously with salt and pepper, if needed.

Ratings

5 out of 5
8,654 user ratings
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Comments

chef Pace, milano

Primavera the best season and the recipe a great combination of ingredients (asparagus "the rite of spring). May I add, in Italia we use the garlic whole and crushed to flavor the cooking fat (oil or butter) then it is discarded. To finish the dish instead of creme fraiche drizzle the best quality extra virgin olive oil over the finished product, the flavor would be more natural and lighter.

Davide

This recipe is exceptional. I use frozen baby peas and to keep them tasty and crisp I add the frozen peas after draining the pasta then toss. The heat of the cooked pasta cooks them yet leaves them crisp.
Enjoy!

MegRunsTrails

For everyone who says there isn't enough sauce - I added about 1/2 cup chicken broth at the end of cooking the veggies, and also mixed about 1/4 cup water from the pasta in when I tossed everything together. This resulted in a less dairy-focused but still flavorful mix that allowed the lovely taste of the spring vegetables to shine through.

Coletteisme

Cibo squisito! Modifications: 2-3 tblsp each chopped fresh mint, basil and parsley - no tarragon. 4 cloves chopped garlic - 4 cloves not 2, a scant sprinkle of aleppo pepper flake, 1/3 cup creme fraiche plus 1/3 cup of crumbled chevre in addition to the parmesan, a generous drizzle of good olive oil over the whole thing and added enough pasta water to emulsify with the oil and cheeses and create a little sauce. Topped with fresh ground black pepper, chopped scallions and garden fresh tomatoes.

J. Sebastian Winston

Does anyone have suggestions about the best way to reheat leftovers from this recipe? I live alone and although I halved the ingredients, there was still far too much for one person. Help!

Rita

Upgrading my rating to 5/5 after taking some of others' suggestions. Specifically: using 1lb asparagus, putting frozen peas in with pasta just before draining pasta, reserving pasta water to add to "sauce," adding zest of 1 lemon along with Parmesan and parsley, and switching out creme fraiche for EVOO. Good before, excellent now!

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