This post may contain affiliate links. I earn commission if you purchase via affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see our full Disclosure Policy for details.
Spaghetti Primavera al Limone is a variation on a classic Italian dish with lovely, fresh flavours. I love how quick and easy this vegetarian pasta recipe is to make too. Perfect for any occasion, it is sure to become a family favourite.
The Origins of Spaghetti Primavera al Limone
When I read Gwyneth Paltrow’s cookbook, My Father’s Daughter, or Notes from my Kitchen Table as it was titled here in the UK (both affiliate links), I discovered Spaghetti Limone Parmeggiano, a fresh and easy pasta dish I loved.
In fact, my family and I enjoyed it so much, I adapted the recipe a few times to give a bit of variety. The results included my Pancetta and Lemon Spaghetti Parmesan. I am making a concerted effort to reduce the amount of meat my family eats so I also enjoy this version.
Use Your Favourite Vegetables
Switch up the veggies depending on what is in season or what you have on hand. I love using fresh vegetables for my Spaghetti Primavera al Limone, but you can also use frozen. They just need to steam for a bit longer.
If you can get asparagus, it really does make the recipe extra special, but I rarely buy it out of season. You can just use extra green beans, or try snow peas or mange tout. In a pinch, I just use frozen peas. Purple sprouting broccoli works well, as do thinly sliced courgettes (zucchini).
A Quick and Easy Recipe
One of the other things I love about Spaghetti Primavera al Limone is just how quick and easy it is to put together. There’s a bit of light peeling and chopping to do in order to prepare the vegetables but you can then steam the veggies while the spaghetti is cooking. The sauce comes together in moments while you are waiting for everything to cook.
Be Sure To Use Vegetarian Cheese if Required
If you want your Spaghetti Primavera al Limone to be strictly vegetarian, be sure to use a cheese that has been made without the use of animal rennet. There are many “Parmesan style” vegetarian hard cheeses out there that are very delicious. I’ve used Twineham Grange in the past and have always enjoyed it. (Not sponsored, just saying!)
I have yet to try a vegan Parmesan style cheese, although there are now quite a few on the market. If you do give this recipe a try using one, please do let me know how you get on with the recipe.
If you are not worried about the recipe being vegetarian or vegan, then you can use ordinary Parmesan cheese or Parmigiano Reggiano.
How to Serve Spaghetti Primavera al Limone
Simply serve the dressed pasta into bowls and top with the spring vegetables. If you are extra hungry, you can serve the recipe with some delicious Italian bread alongside. Try this light, family-friendly dish with a glass of crisp Sauvignon Blanc or Sancerre for a real taste of spring!
Spaghetti Primavera al Limone – Printable Recipe
Spaghetti Primavera al Limone
Ingredients
- 2 leeks
- a large handful of fresh asparagus
- 2 large carrots
- 1 cup of green beans
- 12 ounces spaghetti
- 1 lemon, rind and juice
- ½ cup finely grated Parmesan style cheese plus extra for garnish
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 3 tablespoons mild olive oil
- ½ cup pasta water you may not need it all
Instructions
- Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add a generous pinch of salt.
- Wash and trim the leeks, then slice thinly.
- Break any tough ends off the asparagus and cut each spear in half.
- Peel the carrots and slice in matchsticks.
- Top and tail the green beans, cutting them in half if they are very long.
- Place all the vegetables except the asparagus in a steamer basket in a large saucepan with water in the bottom (just enough to come up to nearly the bottom of the steamer basket).
- Add the spaghetti to the large pan of boiling water and cook according to package directions.
- Bring the water in the saucepan with the steamer basket in it to a boil and steam the vegetables for two minutes.
- Add the asparagus and steam for three minutes more or until all the vegetables are tender crisp.
- Meanwhile, grate the lemon rind into a small bowl and then squeeze the lemon, adding the juice to the rind.
- Add the grated Parmesan style cheese to the lemon juice and rind along with a generous pinch of salt and a few generous twists of freshly ground pepper (or to taste).
- Mix in the olive oil and add a few tablespoons of pasta water to make an very thick sauce.
- When the spaghetti is cooked, reserve a few more tablespoons of pasta water before you drain the spaghetti and return the pasta to the pan.
- Add most of the lemony sauce to the spaghetti (reserve about two tablespoons), tossing the pasta to coat it thoroughly. Add a bit more of the pasta water if necessary.
- Divide the spaghetti between warmed plates and top with the steamed vegetables, dividing them between the plates as well.
- Add another tablespoon or so of the pasta water to the reserved lemony sauce to make it drizzle-able.
- Drizzle the remaining sauce over the vegetables.
- Serve with additional Parmesan style cheese for sprinkling over top and more freshly ground pepper for those who want it.
Notes
did you make this recipe?
Make sure to tag #apriljharris on Instagram and follow @apriljharris for more.
More Spring Vegetarian Recipes
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Looks delicious, wish I had that plate right now!!
Thank you, Tara 🙂
Beautiful and just delicious looking; perfect for warm weather!
Thank you, Dan, it really is perfect on a spring or summer evening.
What a delicious twist on pasta primavera! I am loving the fresh lemon.
Thank you, Cindy!
What a lovely dish April….perfect for spring and summer entertaining!
Thank you, Linda 🙂
This is certainly perfect for the season right now. I’ve been seeing tons of beautiful asparagus around. Sounds simple yet delicious.
Thank you, Christine. I love all this time of year with all the wonderful spring vegetables available – especially my favourite asparagus!
This looks simple and stunning! What a dish!
Thank you so much, Patricia!
This pasta sounds seriously delicious! I had no idea Gwenyth Paltrow had a cookbook! Must check it out 🙂
Thank you, Nicole! Gwyneth has actually written two cookbooks – “My Father’s Daughter” (published as “Notes from my Kitchen Table” in the UK) and “It’s All Good”. Both are very good, although “My Father’s Daughter” is my favourite of the two.
Healthy and delicious! Pinned, yummed and stumbled!
Thank you so much, Katerina!
Love the simplicity April! This is my kind of dish Pinned and shared!
Thank you so much, Joanne! It really is very easy to put together. Thank you for pinning and sharing too!
Great light and flavorful recipe! {Plus its almost got my last name in the title 🙂 }
Thank you, Angela! And yes, it nearly does 🙂 🙂
Hello beautiful! This looks so amazing. Pinned and tweeted. I hope to see you on Monday at 7pm because we love to party with you! Happy Memorial Day! Lou Lou Girls
Thank you and thank you for sharing too. Hope you are having a good Memorial Day weekend.
Great dish! My husband can eat spaghetti every day, and as this is a veggie version, we could share it 🙂
I love this recipe!!
I’m so glad you like it, Winnie 🙂
Looks sooooo yummy! Thanks so much for sharing at #funtasticfriday !
Thank you, Lindsay, and thank you for hosting!
Hi April – This looks so delicious. Thanks for sharing with the Let’s Get Real Party.
Thank you, Gaye, and thank you for hosting!
April, looks great. So did the plum cake–I’ll be making that as soon as plum season arrives in my area.
Thank you so much, Jean. I hope you enjoy both recipes 🙂
What a beautiful pasta dish and so healthy! I had never thought of adding green beans to pasta. Looks wonderful.
Thank you, MJ! 🙂
April,
I love the presentation of this pasta dish! It has a such a spring look with the asparagus and healthy too..
Thank you so much, Judee!
This sounds so much like the way I make my primavera! I love that it feels like a nice light dish and we tend to load it up with a rainbow of fresh veggies.
It really is such a versatile dish, Joanne. I often switch up the veggies depending on what is in season 🙂
“classic Italian dish”
Just a heads up, pasta primavera is an (Italian-) American dish, and only dates from the 1970s!
It’s funny how we think of so many Italian dishes as existing from time immemorial, when many of them are fairly recent creations. Carpaccio and carbonara were both invented mid 20th century, ciabatta only dates to the 1980s!
A famous food historian once said that until the 1960s pizza was as foreign to most Italians as sushi.
I do love food history, and it’s always nice to learn something new 🙂 Thank you for sharing!