Creamy Pasta with Summer Vegetables

Creamy Pasta with Summer Vegetables is a simple seasonal recipe using fresh peas, beans, and herbs from my garden.  If you don’t grow your own vegetables you can still make this recipe.  All of these vegetables are available to buy from a market or supermarket.

Cooking with pasta is one of the quickest ways to get a tasty dinner on the table in a very short time.  Creamy Pasta with Summer Vegetables tastes so fresh and delicious, it’s like a bowlful of summer.

Summer Vegetables

The photograph above shows the summer vegetables and herbs that I picked from my garden. to use in this recipe.

• Sugarsnap peas
• Spring Onions
• Broad Beans
• Spinach
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Fennel
• Marjoram

Growing Sugarsnap Peas

Sugarsnap Peas are my favourite vegetable to grow.  They are so easy, you just pop the peas into the ground. You need to provide some support, either a tripod or canes and string or wire for them to grow up. Then keep them watered and soon you will be picking lovely sweet peas.  You can also grow them in containers.

You can east the whole pea, pod and all.  Or you can wait until the peas have filled the pods and use the peas.

Broad Beans, Runner Beans, and spinach are also very easy to grow.  I’ve grown spinach and runner beans in containers but I find Broad Beans need a little more space to make the crop worthwhile.

Can I use frozen vegetables?

You can make Creamy Pasta with Summer Vegetables with frozen vegetables.  Frozen broad beans are excellent, sugar snap peas don’t have the fresh snap if cooked from frozen, but you could substitute frozen garden peas or petit pois for the sweet flavour.

Alternative Vegetables to use in Creamy Vegetable Pasta

As summer progresses, different vegetables become available. The following would work equally well in this recipe. Simply keep the overall weight of vegetables the same and mix and match.

• Swiss Chard
• Courgettes (Zucchini)
• Runner Beans
• French Beans
• Beetroot leaves (it might turn a little pink)
• Pak Choi

More Summer Vegetable Recipes from Farmersgirl Kitchen

Radish Asparagus and Avocado Salad

How to make Lettuce Soup

Courgette and Hummus Pizza

More simple vegetable pasta recipes

One Pan Arrabiata Pasta – Crunch & Cream

Easy Romanesco Pasta with Lemon and Garlic – Tin & Thyme

Vegetarian Vermicelli Fideo Pasta Bowl – Simply Food

Zucchini and Carrot Light and Simple Spaghetti – My Little Italian Kitchen

One-Pot Ligurian Pesto Pasta with Potatoes and Asparagus – Food to Glow

How to make Creamy Pasta with Summer Vegetables

Fill the saucepan with plenty of water and bring to the boil.  Add salt, then cook the pasta until just al dente (when there is still a little bite).

Heat the oil in a large saute or frying pan. Add the chopped spring onions and cook for a couple of minutes on a medium heat. Add the Sugar Snap Peas and broad beans and stir fry for about 5 minutes.

Add the washed spinach leaves and cook for a few more minutes until the spinach has wilted.

In a bowl mix the cornflour with a little of the milk to make a paste.  Then add the rest of the milk to the pan and heat gently.  Add the milk and cornflour mix, stirring all the time until the sauce starts to thicken.  Then add the grated parmesan cheese.

Drain the cooked pasta and add to the pan, stirring gently to cover the pasta noodles with sauce.

Just before serving add the finely chopped fresh herbs, making sure they are distributed through the sauce.  Serve with shavings of parmesan cheese and a  sprinkling of extra herbs on top.

WHY NOT PIN FOR LATER?

Creamy Pasta with Summer Vegetables

Janice Pattie

Take the best of the produce of the summer season and serve simply with pasta in a creamy sauce.

5 from 8 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 15 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine British, Italian

Servings 2

Calories 761 kcal

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary units

 

1x2x3x

• 150 grams tagliatelle or other pasta
• 2 spring onions finely chopped
• 150 grams sugar snap peas sliced into 2 cm pieces
• 300 grams broad beans in the pod yields 100 grams beans
• 100 grams spinach washed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp cornflour
• 300 ml milk
• ½ tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 50 grams parmesan cheese finely grated
• 1 tbsp mixed herbs finely chopped, I used fennel, rosemary, thyme and marjoram
• Extra herbs to sprinkle before serving
• Shavings of parmesan cheese to serve

Instructions

 

• Fill the saucepan with plenty of water and bring to the boil. Add a pinch of salt, then cook the pasta until just al dente (when there is still a little bite).
• Heat the oil in a large sauté or frying pan. Add the chopped spring onions and cook for a couple of minutes on a medium heat. Add the Sugar Snap Peas and broad beans and stir fry for about 5 minutes.
• Add the washed spinach leaves and cook for a few more minutes until the spinach has wilted.
• In a bowl mix the cornflour with a little of the milk to make a paste. Then add the rest of the milk to the pan and heat gently. Add the milk and cornflour mix, stirring all the time until the sauce starts to thicken, Simmer gently for 2-3 minutes, season with salt and pepper to taste. Then add the grated parmesan cheese.
• Drain the cooked pasta and add to the pan, stirring gently to cover the pasta noodles with sauce.
• Just before serving add the finely chopped fresh herbs, making sure they are distributed through the sauce. Serve with shavings of parmesan cheese and a sprinkling of extra fresh herbs on top.

Notes

Broad Beans

• If using fresh broad beans in the pod, you need 3 times the weight you require of beans.
• I used young broad beans at the start of summer.  If you are using more mature beans then cook them in a little salted boiling water for 5 minutes.  Let them cool then remove the outer skin to reveal the tender green beans.
• If using frozen baby broad beans you will need 100g grams.

Alternative Vegetables 

As the summer progresses, different vegetables become available. The following would work equally well in this recipe. Simply keep the overall weight of vegetables the same and mix and match.

• Swiss Chard
• Courgettes (Zucchini)
• Runner Beans
• French Beans 
• Beetroot leaves (it might turn a little pink)
• Pak Choi 

Nutrition

Calories: 761kcalCarbohydrates: 101gProtein: 40gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 95mgSodium: 1115mgPotassium: 1290mgFiber: 14gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 6498IUVitamin C: 63mgCalcium: 649mgIron: 7mg

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