Pasta Primavera Recipe with Creamy Quark Sauce

If you love pasta but sometimes fancy something completely different from another tomato sauce, this pasta primavera is definitely worth trying. It’s packed with green vegetables and has a creamy sauce made with Quark, vegetable stock and egg yolks, so there’s loads going on without needing a particularly long or complicated list of ingredients.

I make mine with spaghetti, courgettes, asparagus, peas, broad beans, green beans and baby carrots. It looks lovely and colourful when it’s finished, but more importantly, it tastes really good!

It’s also one of those recipes that reminds me how useful frozen vegetables can be. You absolutely don’t need to buy everything fresh just because you’re making a recipe from scratch.

Ingredients for pasta primavera

This recipe makes four portions. You will need:

• 200g dried spaghetti
• 0.8 litres hot vegetable stock
• 2 small onions, finely chopped
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 150g baby carrots
• 100g frozen petit pois
• 100g frozen broad beans
• 2 courgettes, finely sliced
• 150g green beans, trimmed and cut into approximately 1-inch pieces
• 2 egg yolks
• 100g fine asparagus, cut into approximately 1-inch pieces
• 200g Quark

It looks like quite a long list when you see all the vegetables written out, but there’s nothing particularly complicated here. A good chunk of it can come straight from the freezer too, which is always handy.

How to make pasta primavera

Cook the spaghetti in salted water according to the packet instructions. You want it cooked but still with a little bite rather than really soft.

Drain the spaghetti and return it to the pan.

Meanwhile, bring the vegetable stock to the boil in a separate pan. Add the onions, garlic, carrots, green beans and thyme, bring it back to the boil and simmer for around five minutes.

Add the petit pois, broad beans and courgette, bring everything back to the boil again and simmer for another couple of minutes.

Add the asparagus and simmer for one further minute.

Before draining the vegetables, remove 200ml of the cooking stock and put it to one side. Don’t forget this bit because we’re going to use that liquid for the creamy sauce!

Drain the rest of the stock from the vegetables and add the vegetables to the spaghetti.

In a separate bowl or jug, thoroughly mix the reserved 200ml stock with the Quark and egg yolks.

Add this mixture to the spaghetti and vegetables, then heat gently over a medium heat for 1–2 minutes until the sauce has thickened.

Serve immediately.

If you’re unsure about getting the spaghetti right before adding everything else, my how to cook pasta guide should help.

What is pasta primavera?

Pasta primavera is essentially a pasta dish based around vegetables, and despite the Italian-sounding name, it’s actually associated with Italian-American cooking rather than being a traditional Italian pasta dish.

There are lots of variations, which is why one pasta primavera recipe can look quite different from another.

Mine is very much my own take on it. I use lots of green vegetables along with carrots and make the creamy sauce using Quark, egg yolks and some of the vegetable stock.

Pasta primavera or spaghetti primavera?

Either description works for this recipe because I’m using spaghetti.

Pasta primavera doesn’t have to be made with spaghetti, though, so if you use another pasta shape then calling it spaghetti primavera would admittedly be a little odd!

I like spaghetti here, but the vegetables and creamy sauce are the important parts of the recipe rather than one particular pasta shape.

Which vegetables are in this pasta primavera?

There’s a fair amount packed into this one:

Courgettes, asparagus, petit pois, broad beans, green beans, baby carrots and onions all go into the dish, along with garlic and thyme.

The timing of when you add them matters because they don’t all need the same amount of cooking. The carrots and green beans go in first, followed by the peas, broad beans and courgettes, with the asparagus added right at the end.

That way you don’t have to boil everything together until the asparagus has completely given up on life just to make sure the carrots are cooked!

Can I change the vegetables?

You can experiment, but I’d be a little more cautious than simply saying you can swap everything for whatever you’ve got.

Different vegetables need different cooking times and release different amounts of water, so changing several of them could alter the finished dish considerably.

The combination I’ve tested uses carrots, green beans, petit pois, broad beans, courgettes and asparagus.

If you’ve made the recipe before and want to experiment, that’s different, but for the first attempt I’d make it as written so you know what you’re aiming for.

Can I use frozen vegetables?

Yes. The recipe already uses frozen petit pois and broad beans, so there’s absolutely nothing wrong with taking advantage of the freezer.

Frozen vegetables are one of those things I nearly always find useful to have around because they mean I can make something vaguely sensible for dinner even when the fresh vegetable drawer is looking rather tragic.

Just follow the recipe timings rather than assuming every frozen vegetable can be added at exactly the same stage.

How do you make creamy pasta primavera sauce?

The creamy sauce is probably my favourite part of this recipe because it doesn’t require making a separate traditional cheese or cream sauce.

Once the vegetables have cooked, you reserve 200ml of their cooking stock.

Mix that stock thoroughly with 200g Quark and two egg yolks, then add it to the spaghetti and vegetables.

The mixture is gently heated for another 1–2 minutes until it thickens.

It’s important not to absolutely blast it with heat at this point. You’re dealing with Quark and egg yolks, so gentle heating and stirring is much more sensible than wandering off and leaving it furiously boiling while you check Facebook!

How do I stop the Quark sauce splitting?

Quark can split when it gets too hot, which is why the final stage of this recipe is quite short.

Mix the Quark thoroughly with the reserved stock and egg yolks first, then add it to the pasta and vegetables and heat it gently.

Betsy’s comment underneath this recipe actually made me laugh because she specifically said the creamy sauce didn’t split – hooray! I completely understand the relief because Quark can occasionally make you question your life choices when you’re standing over a saucepan.

If you’ve bought a tub and now need to use the rest, I’ve got plenty more Quark recipes too.

What pasta can I use for pasta primavera?

I use 200g spaghetti in this recipe, which is why I’ve also called it spaghetti primavera over the years.

You could experiment with another pasta shape if that’s what you’ve got, but remember that different pasta types can have different cooking times.

I’d still cook whichever pasta you’re using according to its packet instructions rather than trying to make it cook in with all the vegetables.

Is pasta primavera vegetarian?

This recipe is vegetarian provided the vegetable stock, Quark and other ingredients you choose are suitable for vegetarians.

I’ve been vegetarian since I was 10, so meals like this are exactly the sort I like: plenty of vegetables, but still a proper creamy pasta dinner rather than something that feels as though the interesting part of the meal has simply been removed.

If you want more meat-free ideas, have a look through my vegetarian and vegan recipes.

Is pasta primavera healthy?

This recipe contains several different vegetables alongside pasta, Quark and egg yolks, so there’s a good mixture of ingredients.

I wouldn’t get too hung up on trying to decide whether pasta itself makes it “healthy” or “unhealthy”, though.

I lost 10 stone while still eating pasta, and my view of food now is much less about finding the lowest-calorie possible version of everything and much more about eating meals I enjoy that include a decent variety of foods.

If pasta is something you’ve worried about when trying to lose weight, my guide to whether pasta is healthy goes into this in more detail.

Is this pasta primavera suitable for Slimming World?

If you’re following Slimming World, check the exact ingredients you’re using against the current plan rather than relying on an old Syn calculation.

This recipe uses pasta, vegetables, Quark and egg yolks, but plans and terminology change and products can vary.

For more ideas that may suit what you’re looking for, have a browse through my Slimming World pasta recipes.

What to serve with pasta primavera

There are already lots of vegetables in the pasta, so I don’t think you need to start adding sides purely for the sake of making the plate look busier.

I’d happily eat a bowl of this on its own.

If you do want something else, salad or some extra vegetables would work, and I don’t think anyone is going to complain if garlic bread appears either.

As you’ve probably gathered by now, I’m not particularly interested in pretending garlic bread ceases to exist just because we’re talking about healthy eating!

Can I make pasta primavera ahead?

I think this one is best made reasonably close to when you’re going to eat it.

The sauce contains Quark and egg yolks and the pasta will continue absorbing sauce as it sits, so you aren’t necessarily going to have exactly the same creamy texture after it’s spent hours in the fridge.

You can certainly prepare and chop some of the vegetables beforehand to make dinner quicker.

Can I reheat pasta primavera?

Because the sauce contains egg yolks and Quark, I’d be particularly careful with cooling, storing and reheating leftovers.

Cool leftovers promptly, keep them refrigerated and reheat them thoroughly when you’re ready to eat them.

The sauce may be thicker after chilling because the pasta will continue absorbing some of the moisture.

Pasta primavera FAQs

Can I make pasta primavera without Quark?

I haven’t tested this exact recipe with a replacement for the Quark, so I can’t give you a direct substitution and promise it’ll behave exactly the same way.

Quark is part of the tested sauce along with the vegetable stock and egg yolks.

Can I use cream cheese instead of Quark?

Again, I haven’t tested that substitution. Cream cheese and Quark don’t behave identically and may also have different consistencies, so it could change the finished sauce.

Can I make pasta primavera without egg?

The two egg yolks help make the creamy sauce, so removing them would change the recipe. I haven’t tested an egg-free version.

Can I add chicken?

You could certainly make a chicken-and-vegetable pasta inspired by this, but this particular recipe has been tested as a vegetarian dish and the cooking instructions don’t account for raw chicken.

If chicken pasta is what you actually fancy, have a look through my chicken pasta recipes instead.

Can I use penne instead of spaghetti?

You can experiment with another pasta shape. Cook it according to the packet instructions before combining it with the vegetables and sauce.

More easy pasta recipes

If creamy pasta is your thing, my creamy courgette pasta is another vegetarian option using Quark, while my mushroom and spinach pasta bake is lovely when you fancy something baked and cheesy.

For lots more ideas, have a look through my pasta recipes, where you’ll find pasta bakes, sauces, salads and easy family dinners.

I’ve also got my healthy pasta bake recipes if you’re looking for something a little more specific.

And if you’ve now got half a tub of Quark sitting in the fridge wondering what its purpose in life is, don’t forget those Quark recipes!

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