This colorful recipe for lasagna primavera is a lighter version of everyone’s favorite Italian supper, full of veggies and just the right amount of cheese flavor! Perfect for a weeknight dinner or a special occasion.
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Why we love this recipe
We do love lasagna in all ways, shapes and forms in my house (Ravioli Lasagna is made on repeat for those crazy busy weeknights!) but I also love a non-baked lasagna that packs in some fresh good and good for you veggies.
And that is exactly what this recipe does. Sort of like my beloved Summer Lasagna, this one mingles cooked broken lasagna noodles with veggies and ricotta cheese, but we are going to take one more quick step and give those veggies a speedy cook-up in a lemony buttery Parmesan cheese sauce.
It’s pasta Primavera deliciousness!
What does Primavera mean?
The word “Primavera” is Italian for “spring,” and Pasta Primavera is an Italian-American dish that usually features pasta tossed with all kinds of fresh spring vegetables – think asparagus, peas, scallions and so on.
Many Primavera recipes are made with a cream sauce, but some (like this one) go for a lighter lemon butter sauce.
This is both a great dinner party dish (so pretty and easy!) and a great busy weeknight dish (your veggies, pasta and some cheese all on one plate!).
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Lasagna Noodles: You want the traditional ones that you need to boil up, not the no-boil kind. Pro Tip: Put them inside a clean dish towel when you break them and that way little pieces won’t fly all over your kitchen when you snap them.
- Parmesan cheese: Use the finest grated Parmesan that you can find for optimal melting.
- Sugar snap peas: These peas are sweet and crunchy! They are sometimes confused with snow peas, which are flatter – snow peas are also scrumptious so feel free to swap them out.
- Ricotta cheese: We love making our own ricotta for this recipe (it takes 10 minutes and two ingredients and is magical-tasting) but you can also use supermarket ricotta.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
How to make this recipe
STEP 1: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it liberally. While the water is coming to a boil, break your lasagna noodles into 4 pieces each (don’t worry if they don’t come out perfectly – you just want them generally broken up), and then cook the noodles according to the package directions until they are done (about 12 minutes). Scoop out a cup of pasta water before you drain the noodles.
STEP 2: Put the butter in a large deep skillet over medium heat and stir until it is melted. Add the lemon juice and Parmesan and give it a stir, and then add the sugar snaps and the cherry tomatoes. Drizzle in half the pasta water to make a light sauce and then stir everything up for a couple of minutes until it is just warmed up.
STEP 3: Add the pasta and give it all a toss – you want it all nice and mixed together. Give it a taste and add salt and pepper as needed. If you think it needs a little loosening up, drizzle in some more of that magical pasta water.
Divide it among bowls, top it with a scoop of ricotta, the lemon zest, scatter on some more Parmesan and a handful of fresh parsley or basil and serve it up!
Recipe FAQs
One million percent yes! Just make sure they are either delicate enough to cook in the sauce (like spinach or peas or chopped leeks) or that you pre-cook them ahead of time (like broccoli or carrots).
Those little marks are just little bruises that happen when the peas are picked. Don’t worry about them – they will not impact the flavor at all.
If you are out of lasagna noodles, any type of short pasta will do. Wide egg noodles, penne or bow-ties are all good choices.
When pasta cooks, it releases starch into the water (that is what makes it a little cloudy). And since hopefully you have thoroughly salted your water, at the end of the pasta cooking time you have a starchy, salty water that is ABSOLUTELY PERFECT for making or loosening up a light pasta sauce. It’s truly magical.
Pop your question in the Comments section under the recipe card and I will answer pronto!
Equipment we used for this recipe
These are some of my favorite kitchen tools! These are Amazon affiliate links, which means I get a little something if you buy through my links at no extra cost to you. (Which helps pay for all that bacon I keep buying! 😄) And I only share things I use and love. I’m so grateful for your support!
- Measuring Cup: We love these angled cups that show the measurements on both the inside and outside of the cup.
- Cutting Board: These sturdy, dishwasher-safe cutting boards come in all different sizes.
- Citrus Juicer: We love this handy juicer that catches every single seed.
- Tongs: We have this essential kitchen tool in all sizes from short to extra long.
- Dish Towels: We have a drawer full of these sturdy, absorbent towels.
- Large Skillet: We have a few of these in our cupboard but this is one of our faves.
- Strainer: This classic strainer is just right for all your your favorite pasta recipes (one of ours is pasta with egg sauce!)
What to serve with this recipe
One of the great things about lasagna primavera is that it has all the ingredients for a delicious dinner in one bowl. That being said, we wouldn’t say no to some biscuits or bread on the side.
And let’s keep the Italian vibe going with some Cannoli Cream for dessert!
Other pasta and veggies recipes we love!
We want to know what you think! 🤔
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section below the recipe card.
Easy Lasagna Primavera
This colorful recipe for lasagna primavera is a lighter version of everyone’s favorite Italian supper, full of veggies and just the right amount of cheese flavor!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 8 ounces lasagna noodles
- 4 tablespoons butter
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 2 cups finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish
- 8 ounces sugar snap peas
- 8 ounces cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- Fresh chopped parsley or basil for garnish
- Sea salt and pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it liberally. While the water is coming to a boil, break your lasagna noodles into 4 pieces each (don’t worry if they don’t come out perfectly – you just want them generally broken up), and then cook the noodles according to the package directions until they are done (about 12 minutes). Scoop out a cup of pasta water before you drain the noodles.
- Put the butter in a large deep skillet over medium heat and stir until it is melted. Add the lemon juice and Parmesan and give it a stir, and then add the sugar snaps and the cherry tomatoes. Drizzle in half the pasta water to make a light sauce and then stir everything up for a couple of minutes until it is just warmed up.
- Add the pasta and give it all a toss – you want it all nice and mixed together. Give it a taste and add salt and pepper as needed. If you think it needs a little loosening up, drizzle in some more of that magical pasta water!
- Divide it among bowls, top it with a scoop of ricotta, the lemon zest, scatter on some more Parmesan and a handful of fresh parsley or basil and serve it up!
Notes
-
- Lasagna Noodles: You want the traditional ones that you need to boil up, not the no-boil kind. Pro Tip: Put them inside a clean dish towel when you break them and that way little pieces won’t fly all over your kitchen when you snap them.
-
- Parmesan cheese: Use the finest grated Parmesan that you can find for optimal melting!
-
- Sugar snap peas: These peas are sweet and crunchy! They are sometimes confused with snow peas, which are flatter – snow peas are also scrumptious so feel free to swap them out!
-
- Ricotta cheese: We love making our own ricotta for this recipe (it takes 10 minutes and two ingredients and is magical-tasting) but you can also use supermarket ricotta.
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