Our Instant Pot pasta primavera recipe offers a variety of fresh veggies in a delicious, comforting meal. With a rainbow of vegetables, this bright dish is almost as beautiful as it is tasty and you’ll know your family’s bellies will be full of nothing but wholesome, nutrient packed ingredients.
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What is Pasta Primavera?
Pasta primavera is a simple dish featuring a lot of veggies and short pasta. It uses traditional Italian spices and herbs for added flavor. It is a great way to get your little ones to eat a variety of fresh veggies.
Pasta primavera is very easy to make. We make ours in the Instant Pot so we are only dirtying one pot and to save a bit of time when making it, making it one of our favorite Instant Pot pasta recipes.
When you make this dish, you can feel free to add additional veggies or omit ones that you don’t like as much without drastically changing the flavor. It is a great meal for a cold night, makes a great hot lunch, and is an awesome way to use fresh veggies.
Ingredients for best Pasta Primavera
When you make this pasta dish, you will want to have the following ingredients on hand. You’ll want to use fresh veggies where possible, though frozen can work in a pinch too if you prefer.
- Pasta - We use rigatoni, but you could use any small pasta shape you prefer.
- Salt - Salt the pasta to taste.
- Olive oil - Olive oil has a good flavor for this, but you could use another light tasting oil if you prefer.
- Red onion - If you prefer, a white or yellow onion will also work.
- Carrots - Peel and slice into matchsticks.
- Broccoli florets - When you make this, cut them into matchsticks.
- Red bell pepper - You could use your preferred color of bell pepper.
- Yellow squash - You could use green if you like.
- Garlic cloves - When we make this, we mince them, but you could crush them if you prefer.
- Cherry tomatoes - You could use roma tomatoes or other small varieties if you prefer.
- Italian seasoning - You should be able to find a seasoning packet or bottle at your local store.
- Pasta water - You will want to reserve about ¼ cup for the pasta once it is done cooking.
- Fresh lemon juice - You could use bottled, but fresh tends to taste better.
- Parmesan - You can use your preferred brand and style of cheese.
- Fresh parsley
- Red chili flakes - You could use red pepper flakes if you prefer.
How to make Pasta Primavera in an Instant Pot
When you want to make Instant Pot pasta primavera, follow these simple instructions:
- Press the sauté mode of your Instant Pot and when HOT add the olive oil, garlic, onions, and carrots.
- Sauté them until softened, which will take about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Next, add in the broccoli, bell peppers, squash, tomatoes, and Italian seasoning then sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until veggies have nearly softened. Just make sure they do not lose their bite by over-cooking them.
- Once softened, remove veggies from the pot and set them aside in another bowl.
- Return the inner pot to the Instant Pot, add 3 cups of water, sea salt, and the rotini or other pasta.
- Next, stir gently and place the lid on with the vent knob turned to the sealing position.
- Once in place, select “pressure cook” on high pressure for 3 minutes.
- When the cooking cycle is complete, do a quick release of pressure immediately. Drain pasta and make sure to reserve ¼ cup of the pasta water.
- Next, add the pressure cooked pasta and sauteed veggies back to the large pot of the Instant Pot. Squeeze lemon juice into the pasta and then season with a little more salt as needed.
- Toss the pasta together while adding in pasta water to loosen as desired. Finally, toss in a ¼ cup of parmesan and parsley.
Serve warm in bowls with red pepper flakes and more Parmesan cheese as well as bread, salad, and other sides as desired.
Pro tips and tricks
When you make this pasta primavera recipe, you will want to follow these easy pro tips and tricks for best results:
- Keep some pasta water aside for use in the final steps.
- Don’t over cook the noodles by performing a quick release and draining the pasta immediately.
- Pick your favorite veggies, seasonal ones work well since they have a great flavor and add freshness to the dish.
FAQs
Pasta primavera is best served freshly made with your favorite breadsticks, garlic knots, dinner rolls, loaf of bread, salads, and side of veggies. It makes a great main dish that you can make just about any night of the week that you want a warm, comforting meal.
If you make too much or you want to serve it for lunch or as a left overs another night, you can store pasta primavera in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. To store, first let the pasta cool completely and then scoop into one large or several single serve containers.
When you have leftovers, you can reheat the pasta primavera in a microwave safe bowl or container. If you prefer, you can warm it in a pot on the stove top in a medium sized bowl. As you reheat it over medium-low heat, make sure to stir it frequently. You only need to cook it until it warms through.
When we make pasta primavera, we already add a variety of veggies including squash, bell peppers, carrots, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, and onions. You can omit any of them if you like or add additional veggies like mushrooms, peas, more bell peppers, hot or sweet peppers, fresh corn, zucchini, eggplant, or any other veggie you like or that is in-season.
Pasta primavera works well with any small-sized pasta. Some common examples that will work well include rigatoni, casarecce, cascatelli, fusilli, farfelle, cavatappi, cavatelli, shells, garganellim penne, gemelli, orecchiette, pipe rigate, radiatori, and ziti.
Other Italian recipes you should try
If you love pasta, you should check out some of our other favorites. They include:
- Lemon Garlic Pasta
- Creamy Broccoli pasta
- Creamy mushroom pasta
- Gigi Hadid Pasta
- Dill Pickle pasta salad
- Cacio e pepe
- Penne Pomodoro
- Pesto Cavatappi
- Aglio e Olio
- Black Bean Pasta
Let us know what you think
If you make this delicious recipe, let us know how it went! When you make this, be sure to take a pic and tag us on Instagram @dbellyrulesdmind or Facebook @thebellyrulesthemind!
Pasta Primavera Recipe
Our Instant Pot pasta primavera recipe offers a variety of fresh veggies in a delicious, comforting meal. With a rainbow of vegetables, this bright dish is almost as beautiful as it is tasty and you’ll know your family’s bellies will be full of nothing but wholesome, nutrient packed ingredients.
Ingredients
- 8 oz. dry Pasta
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium red onion, sliced
- 1 small carrot, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
- 1 cup broccoli florets, cut into matchsticks
- 1/2 medium red bell pepper, sliced into matchsticks
- 1/2 medium yellow squash, sliced into quarter portions
- 5 cloves garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved through the length
- 2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1/4 cup pasta water
- 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan, * divided
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- red chili flakes garnish
Instructions
- Press the sauté mode of your Instant Pot and when HOT add the olive oil, garlic, onions, and carrots.
- Sauté them until softened, which will take about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Next, add in the broccoli, bell peppers, squash, tomatoes, and Italian seasoning then sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until veggies have nearly softened. Just make sure they do not lose their bite by over-cooking them.
- Once softened, remove veggies from the pot and set them aside in another bowl.
- Return the inner pot to the Instant Pot, add 3 cups of water, sea salt, and the rotini or other pasta.
- Next, stir gently and place the lid on with the vent knob turned to the sealing position.
- Once in place, select “pressure cook” on high pressure for 3 minutes.
- When the cooking cycle is complete, do a quick release of pressure immediately. Drain pasta and make sure to reserve ¼ cup of the pasta water.
- Next, add the pressure cooked pasta and sauteed veggies back to the large pot of the Instant Pot. Squeeze lemon juice into the pasta and then season with a little more salt as needed.
- Toss the pasta together while adding in pasta water to loosen as desired. Finally, toss in a ¼ cup of parmesan and parsley.
Serve warm in bowls with red pepper flakes and more Parmesan cheese as well as bread, salad, and other sides as desired.
About Soniya
Hello, I am Soniya, the cofounder of The Belly Rules The Mind. Originally from Mumbai, India, I am settled in Virginia US with my husband.
I am a mother of 2 energetic boys, referred to as R2 (15-year-old) and R3 (10-year-old) on the blog. In case you are wondering who is R1, well that is my husband.
My hubby and I were born in Mumbai, India, where we were spoiled by the wealth of food choices available to us. We could enjoy everything from yummy street food to multi-cuisine restaurants and we became very picky about what we like and what we don't. Come join us on our journey to have "The Belly Rule The Mind"
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