This Lemon Pasta Primavera is just what you want for dinner on a hot summer night. It’s light, it's fresh, and it’s loaded with veggies. But more than that, it is utterly delicious. Every bite is bursting with bright lemon flavor, the crunch of fresh seasonal vegetables and plenty of parmesan cheese. This one is on high rotation in my house all summer long.

serving bowl filled with butterfly pasta tossed with fresh corn, sliced sugar snap peas and bite sized pieces of asparagus.

Why You'll Absolutely Love This Recipe

So Much Flavor: The sauce is so bright and lemony!
Easy: On the table in an hour. The only "cooking" is blanching the veggies and boiling the pasta. The sauce is a super quick whisk job.
The Ultimate Versatile Dish: Serve it hot for pasta dinner or cold as a pasta salad. Make it as a vegetarian main dish or as a side dish for a summer picnic or barbecue.
Everyone Loves It: This lemon pasta is a total crowd-pleaser.
It's Healthy: A very delicious way to get a big dose of vegetables!

Raw ingredients on a countertop: ears of corn, sliced lemons, asparagus spears and sugar snap peas.

The Secret is in the Sauce

The magic of this lemon pasta primavera is in the simple but outstanding sauce. There's no cooking involved, just a quick whisk of fresh lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and good quality parmesan cheese.

But wait, there's more - after the pasta is ready, use some of the hot, starchy pasta water to help create a silky, luscious lemon-parmesan coating on every noodle - truly irresistible!

Butterfly pasta noodles mixed with asparagus, corn and snap peas

Tips on Preparing the Vegetables

Asparagus: The goal of trimming asparagus is to remove the tough, woody end of the spear. While some people bend the stalk to find its natural breaking point, a more reliable method is to use a knife. Simply look at the end of the asparagus and notice where the stem thickens and begins to turn white—this is usually about an inch or two from the bottom. Cut this part off and discard it or save it to use for vegetable stock.

Bunch of asparagus on a wooden cutting board showing the thick whitish ends

Sugar Snap Peas: Before you cook or eat snap peas, you should remove the hard stem and the fibrous string that runs along the inner edge. Those strings are not chewable, so this step is well worth the effort!

You can use the classic "snap and pull" method by bending the stem end of the pea until it snaps, then pulling the attached string down the length of the pod. I find it a little easier to use a knife and a cutting board. Place the snap pea on the board with the inner arc facing down. Position your knife to slice off the hard stem, but cut down just deep enough to get a grip on the fibrous string. Then, pull the pod upwards, away from the knife, to remove both the stem and the string together.

Trimming the end and string from a sugar snap pea with a chef knife, on a cutting board.

knife cutting the tip of a snap pea off.

Pulling a snap pea away from a knife to remove the string.

The hard stem end of a sugar snap pea connected to the stringy fiber after they've been removed from the pea.

How to Make Lemon Pasta Primavera

This simple recipe comes together in a few easy steps. (See the full recipe card below for precise measurements and detailed instructions.)

Blanch and Cut the Vegetables: The fresh vegetables are boiled for just a few minutes to bring out their vibrant color and make them perfectly crisp-tender.
Cook the Pasta: The pasta is cooked until al dente (firm to the bite).
Whisk the Sauce: A simple and luscious sauce is made by whisking together fresh lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, and good quality Parmesan cheese.
Combine and Finish: Toss the warm pasta with the vegetables and the sauce and top with fresh basil and black pepper.

Serving Suggestions

This Lemon Pasta Primavera is a fantastic vegetarian meal on its own. Or serve it with a green salad and/or some crusty bread on the side.
It also makes a great summer side dish. Serve it with virtually anything grilled - from spicy chicken to chimichurri steak.
To really take it over the top, stir in some fresh lemon zest or cubed feta cheese at the end.

frilly pasta noodles mixed with asparagus, corn and snap peas

Please let me know how this Lemon Pasta Primavera recipe turns out for you by leaving a star rating and a comment. I love hearing from you and I hope this recipe becomes a new favorite!

Recipe

Lemon Pasta Primavera Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 4 reviews

Author: Lisa Goldfinger
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 6-8 servings 1x

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Description

A bright lemon pasta primavera recipe for summer packed with fresh seasonal vegetables - corn, sugar snap peas, asparagus - and tossed in a luscious lemon-parmesan sauce. Easy to prepare and can be enjoyed warm or at room temperature.

Ingredients

Units Scale

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed (see note 1)
3 cups sugar snap peas (about 3 big handfuls), stringed (see note 2)
4-5 ears of fresh corn, shucked (or 3 cups frozen corn, thawed)
1 pound pasta, such as campanelle, farfalle or other frilly shapes
½ cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
½ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 3 juicy lemons)
⅔ cup grated Parmigiana Reggiano, plus more for serving
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
10-12 large basil leaves, stacked and thinly sliced

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Instructions

Blanch the Vegetables
Set up an ice bath by filling a large bowl with cold water and ice. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil (Note: You can use the same water for all the vegetables, but cook the corn last to avoid the strings getting tangled in the other veggies.)

Add asparagus to the boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes, until bright green and crisp-tender. Using tongs, transfer asparagus to the ice bath until cool. Drain well, slice into bite-sized pieces, and add to a large bowl. You may need to replenish the ice bath with more water and ice as you go.
Next, add snap peas to the same boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. Use a mesh skimmer or slotted spoon to transfer them to the ice bath. When cool, drain and slice diagonally into thirds and add to bowl with asparagus.
Finally, add the corn cobs to the pot and cook for 3 minutes. (If using frozen corn, no cooking is needed.) Cool in ice bath, drain, cut kernels off the cob, and add to bowl with the other vegetables.

Cook the Pasta

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of kosher salt. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente.
Before draining, reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta and add it to the large bowl with the prepared vegetables.

Make the Lemon-Parmesan Sauce

While the pasta is cooking, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
Pour the sauce mixture over the pasta and vegetables and toss to combine.
Add the reserved pasta cooking water if needed, a little at a time, tossing with the pasta until the sauce reaches your desired consistency. It should just lightly coat the pasta and vegetables. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
Serving Suggestion: This pasta is delicious served immediately while still warm, but it can also be enjoyed at room temperature as a pasta salad. Just before serving, toss in the fresh basil. If serving warm, offer extra Parmesan cheese on the side.

Notes

A Note on Trimming Asparagus: You'll want to remove the tough, woody part at the end of each spear. While some people recommend bending the stalk to find its natural breaking point, I find a more reliable method is to simply use a knife. Look at the end of the asparagus spear and notice where the stem thickens and starts to turn white. This is typically about an inch or two from the bottom. Cut this part off and discard it or use it for another purpose.
To string snap peas, hold each pea pod near the stem end. Bend the stem until it snaps. It will stay attached to the fibrous string that runs along the inner edge of the pea. Pull that string down along that inner curve to remove it. You'll find more details on how to string snap peas in the written post for this recipe.
Nutrition Disclaimer: We do our best to provide accurate nutrition values using an online nutrition calculator however our nutrition information should only be used as an approximation.

Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Category: Main Dish or Side Dish
Method: boil
Cuisine: Out of this World

This recipe was first published on June 16 2014. It has been reviewed and updated with new photos, added helpful details in the written post, clearer instructions in the recipe card and a new title that better describes this dish. It used to be titled: Lemony Pasta with Summer Vegetables. The same delicious recipe!