Fettuccine Primavera is an easy and delicious creamy pasta recipe. The long fettuccine noodles are tossed with cream, cheese and oil, along with vegetables, for a complete meal. Originally published in 2015, updated March 2020.
Fettuccine backstory
When I first started cooking for myself after college, my repertoire involved alternating between packaged mac & cheese and pasta with jarred tomato sauce. Somehow, I had the temerity to get the idea of cooking for Jodi on one of our first dates. I spotted a recipe for fettuccine primavera, and thought I could pull it off. The dish has a simple creamy goodness, and came out well the very first time I tried it. The date was a success, and now over 25 years later this meal continues to please the palate while bringing back good memories!
My cooking has certainly evolved from the days where making this dish was a big deal. We still love to enjoy this fettuccine primavera, and I make it fairly regularly, including for romantic occasions for the sentimental appeal. And our son has been brought into the fold of appreciating this dish, too. At one point he was known to request it for his birthday. Alas, his taste has gotten more expensive–he now asks for filet mignon.
What is fettuccine primavera?
“Primavera” means spring in Italian, so fettuccine primavera often features fresh spring vegetables and herbs in a creamy sauce.Our standard fettuccine primarvera recipe features broccoli and carrots for the vegetables. Although it has spring in the name, we like to make it throughout the year. This creamy pasta dish hits the spot on a chilly night!
Feel free to add fresh herbs you have on hand–parsley or basil would be a natural choice. You can also add or substitute spring vegetables like snap peas. If you want to use asparagus, always a harbinger of spring for me, check out our Roasted Asparagus and Mushroom Fettuccine recipe.
Recipe tips
Below we will give you some tips for making this Fettuccine Primavera recipe. Click here to jump down to the recipe card to get the complete step by step instructions.
- The fettuccine sauce thickens quickly, so you want to have things timed so that the veggies are cooked and ready to add a few minutes before the pasta is done. This helps the veggies mix in with the sauce better.
- Get the vegetables chopped and ready to go as a first step. You can get the water starting to boil as you chop the veggies. But start steaming the carrots before adding the pasta to the water, so that the vegetables finish first.
- Get your cheese, oil and cream measured while the pasta cooks, as you will want to mix these sauce ingredients into the cooked pasta as soon as you have drained it.
- Finely grated Parmesan cheese such as shown above creates a more consistent sauce than shredded cheese. You can use shredded cheese, you will just have bits of cheese in the mix.
- Lately I have been using So Delicious Organic Creamer made from coconut milk. This is primarily to make it dairy free so our son can eat it, but this substitution also cuts down the calories and fat substantially. I pull out a portion for him after mixing in the creamer and oil, then he tosses his with the GoVeggie vegan cheese for a nondairy fettuccine.
Wine Pairing for Fettuccine
Fettuccine primavera is one of those dishes that I’ve served with both white and red fairly often. In the white department, l like to serve this with a Russian River Chardonnay from Sonoma, as they tend to be fairly lean, and also bring back good memories of our trips to the region.
The Eric Kent Russian River Chardonnay a wonderful Sonoma Chard with layers of flavor. We enjoyed it with our fettuccine during our most recent remake of the dish in 2020.
For a remake of this fettuccine recipe earlier in 2020, I opened a bottle of the 2018 Montinidoli Tradizionale Vernaccia di San Gimignano ($23, 13% ABV).
This Vernaccia is a classic white wine from Tuscany. Notes of almond and lemon fruit, the medium bodied white wine has depth and complexity. Definitely a good match for the cheese in this pasta dish.
I have written previously about Elisabetta, the energetic 80 something owner / winemaker at Montenidoli. Read more about her along with our Tuscan Kale Pasta recipe.
Red wine pairings
For reds, I like to go with something medium bodied with enough fruit and finesse that it won’t overwhelm the pasta.
Pinot Noir is one option that can definitely work. During our most recent remaking of this fettuccine recipe, we opened the 2016 Harper Voit Strandline Pinot Noir (appx. $45, 14.3% ABV) from the Willamette Valley. The wine has raspberry fruit with notes of chocolate, and layers of flavor. The fruit forward, delicate Oregon Pinot turned out to be a very good pairing! You could certainly swap in other Pinots that you enjoy.
Going back to a time I made this dish for a Valentine’s Day meal, I selected the 2012 J. L. Chave Mon Couer Cotes du Rhone. This pairing was part of a Valentine’s Day Wine Pairing Weekend event.
Chave is an outstanding Rhone producer, and I’ve enjoyed a number of his wines. I don’t tend to put much stocks in labels, but the heart on this bottle made it a natural for Valentine’s Day! Plus, I thought it would be the right style of red to go with the dish. How did it do?
The Mon Couer is dusky on the nose with scent of violets. Great structure. I tasted cherry and persimmon (the first thing that popped to mind to describe an interesting nuance). Silky mouthfeel, which is nice with the cream. Definitely a pairing that worked well!
Recipe card
Fettuccine Primavera
Fettuccine Primavera features vegetables tossed with a creamy pasta for an easy and scrumptious creamy pasta dish!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 lb fettuccine noodles
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ cup of grated parmesan or romano cheese
- 1 cup heavy cream — can use coconut cream if you prefer
- 1 bunch broccoli, chopped
- 3 carrots, sliced
- 1 tsp dried parsley or 1 tablespoon fresh parsley (optional)
- Fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Begin boiling water to cook the fettuccine.
- Start the vegetables: begin steaming the carrots in an inch of boiling water, covered.
- Add the broccoli: After the carrots have been steaming for 5 minutes, add the broccoli to steam along with the carrots for 5 more minutes. Drain and set veggies aside.
- Cook the fettuccine noodles: Start cooking the noodles after the broccoli is added to the steamer. Cook the fettuccine noodles according to package instructions.
- Prepare the fettuccine: When the fettuccine is cooked to your liking, drain the pasta and add the noodles back into the pot. Add the olive oil to the noodles immediately, then stir in the cheese. Add the cream to the noodles, and stir again.
- Finish the fettuccine: The fettuccine should be getting nice and creamy now. Stir in the veggies, followed by the parsley and fresh ground black pepper. Serve immediately along with a good class of wine!
Notes
- The fettuccine sauce thickens quickly, so you want to have things timed so that the veggies are cooked and ready to add a few minutes before the pasta is done. This helps the veggies mix in with the sauce better.
- Finely grated Parmesan cheese creates a more consistent sauce than shredded cheese. You can use shredded cheese, you will just have bits of cheese in the mix.
- Lately I have been using So Delicious Organic Creamer made from coconut milk. This is primarily to make it dairy free so our son can eat it, but this substitution also cuts down the calories and fat substantially.
- You can boost the nutritional value of the dish by using whole wheat fettuccine. The Delallo brand whole wheat fettuccine has good flavor.
More Creamy Pasta Recipes
Do you love creamy pasta recipes? Me too! Here are a few other favorites to try:
- Lightened Creamy Mushroom Linguine with Spinach
- Creamy Roasted Acorn Squash Pasta
- Lightened Creamy Penne with Broccoli
Be sure to check out what my fellow bloggers came up with for the February 2015 Valentines Day themed Wine Pairing Weekend!
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- #WinePW Clear to See by Dancing Veggies
- Bubbles & Boulud by Confessions of a Culinary Diva
- Champagne and Oysters for Valentines’ Day by Enoflyz Wine Blog
- Chocolate Pots de Creme paired with Port Wine by Curious Cuisiniere
- Fettuccine Primavera Avec Mon Coeur by Cooking Chat
- Fizzy Fun at Your Romantic Brunch by Food Wine Click
- Gimme a Man With Mussels: Romantic Pairings from Eola Hills & Oregon’s Coast by TastingPour
- Italian Valentine sweets: Sprisolana & Recioto della Valpolicella by Vino Travels
- Let’s talk Romance by A Day in the Life on the Farm
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Peaches and Cream Tarts with Rosemary Glaze and SparklingWhite Wine by Famished Fish, Finicky Shark
- Recipe for Refueling Romance, Salmon Frittata and Michelle Sparkling Brut Rose by Wild 4 Washington Wine
- Risotto all’Amarone + Masi Campofiorin 2009 by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- Wine, Food and Love with #WinePW by Rockin Red Blog
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Wendy, A Day in the Life on the Farm
We are just starting to try French wines and so far are very pleased with the reds. I am putting this on the list of wines to try. Thanks for sharing.
Cooking Chat
Hi Wendy–Chave is a good producer to try. Some pretty elegant wines for relatively moderate prices.
Jennifer
My husband would love this! I’ll have to make it as a special meal when he is done with all this endless plowing that we are enjoying in Boston as you know.
Becky
Beautiful pairing!! I love both and perfect for Valentines!
Holly N @ Spend With Pennies
I love this recipe idea for an easy dinner for two! Thanks for the great wine pairing suggestion!
Cooking Chat
Thanks Holly! Yes, it’s one of those dishes that would surprise you how easy it was given the way people love it!
Sarah Ozimek
Love the story behind this dish! It looks quite tasty!
Cooking Chat
Thanks Sarah! It is very popular in our family!
Camilla @ Culinary Adventures
Ahh! I thought ‘Mon Coeur’ referred to your sweetheart, when I did the preview. Now I see it refers to both! Thanks for starting this entire project. It’s one of my favorite during the month.
Cooking Chat
Yes, I thought it would be a nice double meaning!
jeff
Nice pairing, David. We love all of Jon Louis Chave’s wines. We had the honor to visit them, what an experience to stand on the hill at Hermitage and then visit in the cellar!
Cooking Chat
Wow, Jeff, would love to visit Jon Louis!
William Pollard Jr.
Looks delicious! Wonderful pairing and healthy too. I usually prepare broccoli on the side, but now want to make it using this Fettuccine recipe. Your wine selection looks good too. Congratulations on your 20th celebration together. Thank you.
Cooking Chat
Thanks for all the kind feedback. I did pick this wine largely b/c it tied into the Valentine’s Day theme, but it actually paired quite well too.
Nancy | Pull That Cork
You’ve inspired me to make this recipe, can’t believe I have never prepared Pasta Primavera. Its good to know it pairs well with both white and red wines.
Your photography is lovely, btw.
Cheers!
Cooking Chat
Nice to have a dish that can go with red or white, depending on the mood. Thanks for the photography feedback, Nancy!
Martin Redmond
Cool name for a wine, especially for V-Day David. Your dish looks and sound delicious. I’m going to have to try it as I’m trying to incorporate more meatless meals into my diet! Enjoy Florida!
Cooking Chat
Thanks Martin!
Jeff the Chef
I like the coconut milk idea, and the wine pairings. Thanks!
Angela Allison
What a delightful and delicious recipe! So easy to make too. This will definitely be on repeat in my household. Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Sandhya Hariharan
Love this recipe for two.. The primavara sauce sounds absolutely delicious..
Sue
This dish is right up my alley, I think pasta is the ultimate comfort food, and that creamy sauce just puts it over the top 🙂
Cooking Chat
I definitely agree about pasta and comfort food!
Caitlyn Erhardt
Pasta is always a yes in my book and this one looks incredible! Great recipe!
Tatiana
Oh, my husband loves pasta, I’m so gonna try this today for dinner! I have the perfect bottle of Pinot for this – btw, I love when there’s a wine recommendation, it’s not easy to see these days.
Cooking Chat
Thanks Tatiana! Glad the timing worked. We love sharing wine ideas with our recipes!