Cheesy Vegetarian
15 Minute Creamy Pasta Primavera
This creamy pasta primavera is a quick and easy 15 minute dinner that’s packed with fresh veggies, with a creamy, cheesy sauce.
By the time it gets to dinner time, and the whole household is tired and hungry, I need something easy that can be cooked quickly. This 15 minute creamy pasta primavera is one of my favourite quick dinners. It’s packed with veg, full of different flavours and textures, and I can adapt the recipe to use up whatever’s in the fridge!
15 minute dinner
I love super quick dinners, and it looks like you guys do too – my 15 minute mushroom stroganoff is still one of my most-viewed recipes ever. You are my people.
This pasta primavera ticks all the boxes:
- it’s quick
- it’s easy
- it’s delicious
- it uses whatever veg you have on hand
- it can be adapted to your family’s tastes
Isn’t that just perfect? Pasta, veggies, and a cheesy sauce, in just 15 minutes. Bingo.
What is pasta primavera?
In case anyone’s wondering what the ‘primavera’ part of this recipe title is all about – it’s Italian for ‘spring’. As you can probably guess, pasta primavera is usually made with lots of fresh spring vegetables. It’s full of vibrant colours and crunch.
I’m aware that it’s actually summer as I’m writing this (though the weather here would like us to believe otherwise), but that’s the great thing about pasta primavera. You don’t need to feel limited to just using certain vegetables – you can use whatever veggies you like.
Just use whatever’s in season / whatever’s your favourite / whatever you happen to have in the fridge and freezer. It always works out well.
What is primavera sauce made of?
A classic primavera sauce is made with butter, cream and cheese (doesn’t it sound dreamy?!). However, since I rarely have cream in the fridge, and I don’t like buying ingredients just for one recipe (the rest of the tub always ends up going to waste!), I use something else: cream cheese!
As the cream cheese melts into the warm vegetables, it creates an incredible silky, glossy sauce.
I usually use the garlic and herb stuff, as it automatically brings a lovely flavour to the pasta primavera, with no extra effort from me.
How to make pasta primavera
Step 1: Boil the pasta with frozen veg
Begin by cooking the pasta. I always like to add some frozen veg to my pasta, as they cook together in the same time, and it’s a low effort way to get some extra veg into your dinner.
This time, I used frozen sweetcorn and frozen spinach. I like the blocks of finely chopped spinach, as the little pieces stick to the pasta, and it gets some extra goodness into my kids without them even noticing it.
Other frozen vegetables you could use include frozen peas, peppers, mushrooms, or anything else you enjoy. I’m personally not a huge fan of frozen broccoli or frozen carrots, as they often have a bit of an odd texture. But just use your favourites.
Step 2: Cook some extra veg in a frying pan
While the pasta’s cooking, sauté some other vegetables in a pan.
I always aim to get as many different colours and textures into my pasta primavera as possible. Since the main flavour of the dish comes from the vegetables, it’s nice to get a bit of variety in there. The flavours really shine through.
This time, I used onion, asparagus, and tomatoes, as well as a good dollop of garlic paste (it’s quicker than mincing your own fresh garlic!).
The vegetables only need to be cooked for a few minutes, as you ideally want them to have a bit of bite.
Step 3: Create the creamy sauce
Next up, the creamy sauce!
As mentioned, I always use my favourite secret ingredient to make a creamy sauce: garlic and herb cream cheese!
There are all sorts of ways to make a creamy sauce. A white sauce is easy to make using butter, flour and milk… but just melting a bit of cream cheese into the pan is even easier, and it gives such a lovely, silky sauce that coats the veggies beautifully.
I like to mix a bit of grated cheese through it too, to help to thicken the sauce, and to make it nice and gooey.
Step 4: Mix it all together
Once the pasta and frozen vegetables have finished boiling, just drain the water, and mix everything together. Then you’re all done!
A big bowlful of creamy pasta, with heaps of fresh veg, and a little extra cheese sprinkled on top… absolute heaven.
What vegetables can you use in pasta primavera?
The exact selection of veg doesn’t really matter for this pasta primavera, so feel free to change up the recipe depending on what you have in the fridge (it’s a great fridge clearer).
All of these vegetables would work well:
- peas
- green beans
- broccoli
- tomatoes
- sweetcorn
- onion
- asparagus
- peppers
- mushrooms
- spinach
- courgette (zucchini)
…or pretty much any other veg you have on hand – anything that can be boiled in about 12 minutes with the pasta, or sautéed for 5 or 10 minutes in a frying pan.
Whatever combination you go for, your pasta primavera is sure to be a winner!
15 minute creamy pasta primavera
Ingredients
- 185 g (~ 6 1/2 oz) pasta
- 75 g (~ 1/2 cup) frozen sweetcorn
- 3 cubes frozen spinach
- 1 tbsp oil
- ~ 15 spears asparagus (~ 150g / ~ 5 oz), sliced
- 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 tsp garlic paste)
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- 2 tbsp garlic and herb cream cheese
- 50 g cheddar cheese, grated (~ 1/2 cup when grated)
- 2 tbsp water (you can use the pasta cooking water)
- Salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
-
Add the pasta, frozen sweetcorn, and frozen spinach to a pan with plenty of water, and boil until cooked al dente – around 12-14 minutes.
-
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, and add the chopped asparagus, onion, and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, until the vegetables are beginning to soften, then add the diced tomatoes.
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After another 2 minutes, add the cream cheese, grated cheddar, and a splash of water. Cook for a couple of minutes until the cheese has melted and combined to produce a silky sauce.
-
Drain the cooked pasta, add it to the pan with the vegetables and sauce, and mix well to combine. Season to taste, and serve.
Nutrition
Calories from Fat 203
Note: Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose. Information above is for 1/2 the recipe.
Love a primavera? Try my creamy gnocchi primavera too:
The post 15 Minute Creamy Pasta Primavera appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.
Cheesy Vegetarian
Creamy Three Bean Stew
This creamy three bean stew is the ideal healthy comfort food – with fresh veg and three types of beans, in a luxurious creamy tomato sauce!
This creamy three bean stew is basically my perfect dinner. It feels like a luxurious, comforting meal, but is packed with fresh vegetables and protein-rich beans (three kinds, in case you couldn’t have guessed) – all coated in a creamy, silky sauce with heaps of flavour (swoooon).
It ticks all the boxes!
Healthy comfort food
Veggie-packed comfort food has got to be my all-time favourite food category, and it doesn’t get much better than this creamy three bean stew. It’s absolutely full of goodness, but is about as far from rabbit food as you can get (I’ve never been much of a salad person).
After eating a meal like this, you feel totally satisfied, and your body thanks you too.
What’s in this creamy three bean stew?
There are 3 main elements to this hearty vegetarian stew:
- the vegetables – I chose carrots, courgette (zucchini) and mushrooms
- the beans – three different types! I used black beans, kidney beans and cannellini beans
- the sauce – made with tomatoes, creamy tomato soup, and an extra dollop of cream for good measure
As long as you make sure your bean stew contains these three elements, it will be a success – even if you decide to switch things up a bit (see below for some ideas for how to adapt the recipe!).
How to make creamy three bean stew
Step 1: Fry off the vegetables
Start by dicing your veggies, and adding them to a large saucepan. Cook them for a few minutes until they’re just starting to soften.
Step 2: Add most of the remaining ingredients
We’re already at the ‘add everything else’ stage – this recipe really couldn’t get much simpler.
Add the beans and sauce ingredients to the pan, and leave everything to simmer for a little while, until the sauce has thickened nicely and the vegetables and beans are totally soft.
Step 3: Make it extra creamy
As a little finishing touch, I like to add one more little dollop of something to make it extra creamy. To be honest, there are lots of ingredients you could use for this purpose, which would all have pretty much the same effect:
- cream
- sour cream
- Greek yogurt
- cream cheese
Just be careful if you’re using the low fat version of any of these ingredients, as low fat dairy products can sometimes split and curdle in this kind of situation.
It’s best to stick to the full fat version if you can, or if you really want to use low fat, temper the ingredient first. To do this, mix a spoonful of your hot stew into the yogurt (or whatever you’re using) first, then add it all back into the pot. This helps to minimise the temperature shock, and reduces the risk of curdling.
The difference that one good dollop of sour cream had on my three bean stew was really pretty amazing:
It makes the whole thing so much more luxurious, and transforms a simple bean stew into something seriously tempting.
How to serve three bean stew
This stew already contains all the most important food groups, so there’s no need to serve anything alongside it if you don’t want to. Just a nice big bowl and a spoon are all you need.
Personally though, I think a bit of garlic bread or some crusty bread and butter are absolutely perfect for mopping up the bowl and adding a nice bit of crunch…
How to adapt the recipe
One of the best things about this recipe is that it’s endlessly adaptable – it’s such a good fridge clearer. I would be willing to bet that almost all of you could make this three bean stew entirely from ingredients you already have in the house.
Who doesn’t already have a cupboard full of random tins of beans? And a fridge full of veggies that could do with being used up?
Just chuck ’em all in – the more the merrier.
You could choose different vegetables, different beans, or adjust the sauce ingredients, and you’ll almost certainly still end up with a really tasty meal. In fact, it’s pretty fun if it ends up slightly different each time you make it.
Creamy Three Bean Stew
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 onion, sliced or diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium courgette (zucchini), diced
- ~ 5 medium mushrooms, diced
- 400 g tin cannellini beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
- 400 g tin black beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
- 400 g tin kidney beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
- 400 g (~ 1⅓ cups) tinned tomatoes
- 400 g (~ 1 1/3 cups) tin cream of tomato soup
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 vegetable stock cube, crumbled
- 2 tbsp cream, cream cheese, sour cream or Greek yogurt (full fat versions)
- Small bunch fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
Instructions
-
Heat a dash of oil in a large saucepan, and add the diced onion and carrot. Cook over a medium heat for a few minutes, stirring regularly, until the onion has softened slightly. Add the garlic, courgette and mushrooms, and cook for a further 5 minutes, until the vegetables are beginning to soften.
-
Add the three drained tins of beans, tin of tomatoes, and tin of tomato soup. Also add the oregano and black pepper, along with a crumbled stock cube (or just some salt, if you prefer).
-
Bring to a simmer, and cook for around 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced to produce a thick sauce.
-
Add the cream, mix to combine, and serve warm, garnished with fresh parsley if desired.
Notes
It’s best to use full fat dairy products for cooking, as low fat varieties tend to split and curdle when added to heat. If you really need to use a low fat dairy ingredient, temper it before adding it to the stew. To do this, mix one spoonful of the hot stew into the low fat yogurt (or whatever it is), and stir it together. Then add it back into the stew. This reduces the temperature shock to the yogurt, and minimises the risk of curdling.
Nutrition
Calories from Fat 67
Note: Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose. Information above is for 1/4 of the recipe.
Love healthy comfort food? My veggie-packed slow cooker black bean soup is perfect:
The post Creamy Three Bean Stew appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.
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