Spring calls for bright, green plates — and chef Stéphanie Le Quellec’s latest Instagram idea answers with a lively pasta that celebrates peas, broccoli and tender green asparagus. This is an easy, weekend-friendly pasta primavera that pairs big-format pasta with a punchy anchovy-olive base, crushed pistachios and lemon zest for freshness.
Ingredients for 4 people — spring pasta primavera recipe
- 500 g Paccheri or other large tubular pasta
- 200 g thin green asparagus, sliced
- About 1/8 head of broccoli, finely grated or chopped
- 250 g fresh peas, shelled
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed into a paste
- 3 anchovy fillets (for umami)
- 2 tbsp shelled pistachios, roughly crushed
- A little olive oil to bind the pistachios
- Zest of one lemon
- 1 knob of unsalted butter
- 60 g freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino
- Fresh herbs to finish (parsley or basil work well)
- Keep some pasta cooking water — you’ll need it to build the sauce
Step-by-step cooking method for a spring vegetable pasta
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the Paccheri until al dente. Reserve a few ladlefuls of the cooking water before draining.
- Warm 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a wide skillet over low heat. Add the crushed garlic and anchovy fillets.
- Sweat the garlic and anchovies gently until the anchovies dissolve and perfume the oil.
- Add the asparagus, grated broccoli and peas. Pour in one ladle of the reserved pasta water.
- Turn the heat up to high and cook for about one minute so the vegetables stay crisp and bright.
- Pour in a second ladle of pasta water, then add the drained pasta. Continue cooking over low heat for 2 minutes so the pasta absorbs the flavors.
- Mix the crushed pistachios with a drizzle of olive oil and the lemon zest. Stir this into the pasta.
- Finish with another small ladle of cooking water, the butter and the grated cheese. Toss until the sauce becomes glossy and coats the pasta.
- Serve immediately while hot. Drizzle with a good olive oil, add a little extra lemon zest and scatter fresh herbs on top.
Quick chef tips to lift the dish
- Texture matters: keep the vegetables crisp for contrast with the soft pasta.
- Use freshly grated cheese for a silkier finish and better melt.
- Adjust anchovies to taste. They add depth without tasting fishy when melted into the oil.
- Pistachios bring crunch and color — pulse coarsely so you still feel them in each bite.
- If you like heat, add a pinch of chili flakes when sautéing the garlic.
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