Linguine Primavera

The modern classic primavera gets a loving and ingredient-centered re-examination, with a focus on simple and ultra-seasonal spring vegetables.

Course Main Dishes, Pasta & Noodles

Cuisine American, Canadian, European, Italian, Miscellaneous, North American

Keyword authentic, healthy, pasta primavera, spring, vegetarian

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 20

Total Time 1 20

Servings people

Calories 562kcal

Ingredients

350 g linguine or other thin pasta
150 g fresh peas (about 1.5 cups) - see note
100 g fresh fava beans (about 1 cup) - see note
100 g onion (about 1 cup) finely chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil divided
1 bunch asparagus tips only - see note
2 tbsp Italian parsley (packed) plus more to garnish
10-12 cherry tomatoes
parmigiano-reggiano cheese to finish
black pepper to finish
1 tbsp butter

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil. Meanwhile, shell the peas and the fava beans and set them aside separately. Once the water is boiling, add the fava beans and boil for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cool water, then remove the pale green envelope surrounding each fava bean. Set the finished beans aside.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the linguine until al dente then drain and set aside. Keep a cup or so of the pasta water to add to your sauce.
To make the soffritto, heat two tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large frying pan. Add the onion and saute gently for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and parsley and continue to saute until the onions are soft and slightly coloured and the parsley is dark; about 10-15 minutes. If your pan is starting to look to dry and the onions are getting too much direct heat, add a splash of olive oil and reduce the heat a little. Don't try to rush the soffritto, as you'll end up burning the onions and garlic and ruining the flavour.
Add peas and asparagus to the soffritto and saute 3-4 minutes. Add fava beans, saute an additional 2 minutes. Add splash of pasta water to keep the sauce loose and moist.
Combine pasta and sauce, then add the tomatoes to the hot pasta and let them stand for a minute or so to allow them to soften and cook slightly. Serve, garnished with plenty of freshly ground black pepper and Reggiano-Parmigiano cheese.

Notes

Asparagus - I've indicated that you should only use the tips (the last 5 cm/2 inches or so) of the asparagus spears as they're the most tender - sort of a special treat. You can keep the stalks for another dish. If you've got very tender or slim asparagus, you could use the whole stalk instead, but you'll want to make sure to only use about 1/3 of a bunch.

Peas - You'll need about 500-550g (a little over 1 lb) of fresh, un-shelled English peas in order to obtain 150 g (1.5 cup) of shelled peas.

Fava Beans - You'll need about 700 g (about 1.5 lbs) of fresh, un-shelled Fava beans in order to obtain 100 g (1 cup) of shelled beans (yes, really).

Nutrition