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Why we love this recipe 💚
I do love any kind of pasta primavera at any time of year, but I think I love it most of all in the summertime when there are fresh local veggies everywhere you turn.
And this seafood pasta primavera features tender shrimp tucked in with all the fresh veggies and pasta. The classic light buttery Parmesan cheese sauce holds it all together for a perfect all in one dish.
What is Pasta Primavera? 🍃
Primavera means “spring” in Italian, and pasta primavera at its most basic is pasta with vegetables, which does look like a plate full of spring.
It can be made with pretty much any combo of veggies that appeal to you, and it often includes Parmesan cheese and lemon juice, both of which I made sure to keep for this particular recipe.
We do love a pasta dinner in our house, but in deference to our waistlines I like to cook up recipes where we stretch that pasta way out with good and good for you veggies…and in this case, some tender shrimp to get a little protein in there! (And if you want to go Even Further…well, check out this recipe for Bacon Pasta Primavera!)
So let’s get going on this colorful and creamy shrimp pasta primavera recipe!
Ingredients you need 🍤
Ingredient notes and substitutions 📝
- Shrimp: We use large shrimp for this recipe, but medium or large shrimp will work as well.
- Veggies: Any veggie you like will work in a primavera recipe! Squash, spinach, peppers, carrots…use your fave! Cook up any crunchy vegetables (like carrots and cauliflower) before you mix them with the pasta.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
How to make this recipe 👩🏻🍳
STEP 1: Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Give it a generous amount of salt (at least 2 tablespoons) and add the broccoli florets from one head of broccoli and 12 ounces of trimmed green beans. Cook those veggies for 3 minutes.
Add one pound of peeled shrimp to the pot and cook for 2 more minutes. Now scoop everything out with a spider or a slotted spoon and lay it all out on a rimmed baking tray (this is so it doesn’t keep on cooking).
STEP 2: Bring the water back to a boil and add 8 ounces of short pasta (we like campanelle best, but you can use penne, bow-ties, etc). Cook it up according to the directions on the pasta box, scooping out a cup of the pasta water before you drain it.
STEP 3: While the pasta is cooking, melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a large deep skillet over medium heat.
Add the juice from one lemon, a cup of grated Parmesan cheese and about a quarter cup of chopped parsley (or basil) and give it all a good stir.
STEP 4: Add a pint of halved cherry tomatoes, the cooked broccoli, the green beans, the shrimp and the pasta to the skillet and toss, drizzling in as much of the pasta water as you need to make a nice light sauce.
Divide your glorious pasta primavera among plates, garnish with some lemon zest, more cheese and fresh ground pepper and serve!
Recipe FAQs 🧐
Now, you don’t HAVE to take the vein (that dark line up the back of the shrimp) out, but lots of folks prefer their shrimpies that way. Pull off the shell by wiggling it apart at the bottom of the shrimp. Once the shell is off, cut a shallow line along the top of the shrimp where the vein is, pull it out with the tip of the knife and…you’re done! Put the shrimp shells in a zippered plastic bag when you toss them out, because if they sit in your trash can for more than a few hours…well, I’ll let you use your imagination.
You can use any veggie that your heart desires! Figure out the usual cooking time and add it to the the pot in time for it to get cooked the way you like it – and some veggies can just be stirred in at the end like I did with the cherry tomatoes. Baby spinach, fresh corn kernels and sliced zucchini or summer squash would all be great in this recipe.
Start with the zesting! There are all kinds of fancy lemon zesting tools out there, but I love my microplane zester – it does the job quickly and you can also use it for cheese. Simply drag the lemon over the zester and little chopped lemon peel pieces will come out the other side. As for juicing, you can get as fancy as having a citrus juicer that squishes the juice out and leaves the seeds, or you can simply squeeze that lemon juice into a prep bowl with your hands.
Pop your question in the comments and I will get back to you pronto!
I like to add some lemon wedges on the side because a lemon wedge is always a festive addition, and the lemon lovers in my house love adding a little more lemon sparkle (just me and the Southern husband – more lemons for us!).
Hurray for Primavera!
Other summery pasta 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.
Shrimp Pasta Primavera
This colorful recipe for shrimp pasta primavera is packed with fresh veggies, seafood and just the right amount of cheese for a perfect all in one supper!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
- 12 ounces green beans, trimmed
- I pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 8 ounces short pasta (penne, campanelle, etc)
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- Juice and zest from one lemon
- 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 1/4 cup parsley or basil
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Give it a generous amount of salt (at least 2 tablespoons) and add the broccoli florets from one head of broccoli and 12 ounces of trimmed green beans. Cook those veggies for 3 minutes.
- Add one pound of peeled shrimp to the pot and cook for 2 more minutes. Now scoop everything out with a spider or a slotted spoon and lay it all out on a rimmed baking tray (this is so it doesn’t keep on cooking).
- Bring the water back to a boil and add 8 ounces of short pasta (we like campanelle best, but you can use penne, bow-ties, etc). Cook it up according to the directions on the pasta box, scooping out a cup of the pasta water before you drain it.
- While the pasta is cooking, melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add the juice from one lemon, a cup of grated Parmesan cheese and about a quarter cup of chopped parsley (or basil) and give it all a good stir.
- Add a pint of halved cherry tomatoes, the cooked broccoli, the green beans, the shrimp and the pasta to the skillet and toss, drizzling in as much of the pasta water as you need to make a nice light sauce.
- Divide among plates, garnish with some lemon zest, more cheese and fresh ground pepper and serve!
Notes
-
- Shrimp: We use large shrimp for this recipe, but medium or large shrimp will work as well.
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- Veggies: Any veggie you like will work in a primavera recipe! Squash, spinach, peppers, carrots…use your fave! Cook up any crunchy vegetables (like carrots and cauliflower) before you mix them with the pasta.
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