This classic pasta dish is an “OUTSTANDING” mixture of colorful vegetables and a simple white wine vinegar sauce. It is the perfect pasta recipe for spring and summer! It makes for a “RELAXED”, light yet satisfying meal for those Indian summer days.

“Vegetable Bin Pasta”

It seems like I’m making a lot of pasta dinners these days. Not sure what’s up with that, but they’re easy, filling, and taste good. I guess that’s reason enough! Tonight’s pasta has a fancy name, “Pasta Primavera.” Pasta primavera is an American dish that consists of pasta and fresh vegetables, invented in the 1970s (as per Wikipedia).

I wanted to rename it “clean out the vegetable bin pasta,” but it just didn’t have the same appeal. I’m serious! The list of veggies shown in the ingredients is the vegetables I had sitting in the fridge. I was in the mood for something somewhat healthy, and veggies qualified! In keeping with the spirit of being healthy, the sauce consists of a little white wine vinegar mixed with the liquid from cooking the pasta (chicken broth). The dish gets a kick from the crushed red pepper and grated parmesan topping. This recipe makes a delicious dinner packed with color, texture, and flavor and is just as good hot as it is cold.

Prep the veggies

Prepped veggies — Prep the veggies before starting

Prepping the veggies can be a little time-consuming, depending on what you are using. In my case, I had a lot of chopping, slicing, and mincing. It wasn’t a surprise, and I found it very relaxing to methodically prep each colorful addition. As I mentioned, any combination of vegetables will work. I didn’t use carrots or celery simply because I didn’t have them on hand. Green onion, white onion, or yellow onion would work just as well as red onion. Same with yellow squash instead or in addition to the zucchini. You can omit anything you don’t like – if you’re not into garlic or mushrooms, leave them out. No-fuss, no muss!

Shortcut: Save time by buying a bag of pre-cut mixed vegetables from your produce department.

Prep the shrimp

frozen shrimp in water — Frozen cooked shrimp are easily thawed in cold water

I chose to use frozen cooked shrimp once again. It’s so easy to thaw just the amount I want. I don’t splurge on the peeled and trimmed variety, which adds a couple of minutes to the prep. If you have left-over chicken or a rotisserie chicken, use it instead of the shrimp.

Cooking veggies in pot — Soften the zucchini, sweet peppers, red onion, garlic and mushrooms in hot oil.

Size matters!

I love that the same pot cooks the entire meal. You’ll need something relatively large, like a Dutch oven or a stock or pasta pot. Heat a little oil and had the mushrooms, garlic, onion, and zucchini cooking until soft. Remove the veggies from the pot into a bowl (they get added back in after the pasta is cooked).

Cooking pasta — Remove the veggies from the pot and cook the pasta in the chicken or vegetable stock

Add the chicken or vegetable broth, pasta, and salt to the pan and cook until pasta is almost tender and stock is nearly absorbed. Add tomatoes and broccoli, and cook for another few minutes. The broccoli should be brilliant green.

Images of veggies and shrimp cooking with the pasta — Add the broccoli and tomatoes to the pasta. Mix in the spinach till wilted. Add the shrimp, vinegar and mushroom mixture. Season to taste.

Bring it all together

Add spinach and continue cooking until spinach wilts. Stir back in the mushroom mixture, shrimp, and vinegar. Remove from heat. Season with salt & pepper. Top with grated cheese and crushed red pepper.

pasta garnished with grated cheese and crushed red pepper — Garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper!

This dish is delicious when served immediately. It’s also fabulous chilled in the fridge overnight and served cold. It’s such a pretty dish, and clean-up is a breeze with just one pot! Enjoy.