One Pot Pasta Primavera (That Actually Tastes Good)

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Okay, listen— it’s Tuesday night, Mia’s being extra about dinner, and I’m staring at some sad vegetables that need to get used ASAP. Enter: one pot pasta primavera that doesn’t taste like cafeteria food.

I’m not even kidding, this whole thing happens in ONE pot. The pasta cooks WITH the veggies. The sauce basically makes itself. And somehow it tastes like you actually tried? (Even though we both know you’re running on fumes and yesterday’s coffee.)

Four ingredients, people. FOUR. And one of them is literally just frozen vegetables because who has time to chop fresh stuff every night? Not this mom. Made this last night. So good. Mia ate it without complaining once.

Ingredients

  • 12 oz penne pasta (or whatever shape you have)
  • 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables (the fancy California blend or whatever’s on sale)
  • 3 cups chicken broth (or vegetable if you’re going that route)
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream (trust me on this one)

Instructions

  1. Dump everything EXCEPT the cream into a big pot. Like, everything. Pasta, frozen veggies, broth. Don’t even thaw the vegetables first (literally saves you 3 minutes and they cook perfectly).

  2. Bring it to a boil, then turn it down to medium-high. Let it bubble away for about 8 minutes, stirring every couple minutes so nothing sticks. The pasta will absorb most of the broth and get perfectly cooked.

  3. When the pasta’s tender and most of the liquid is gone, stir in that cream. It’ll make everything creamy and fancy-looking in like 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper (I always forget this step but it matters!).

Tips

So you can totally use milk instead of cream but it won’t be as rich. And if you’ve got some parmesan hanging around, throw it in at the end - game changer.

Oh! Before I forget— this reheats surprisingly well. Just add a splash of milk or broth when you’re warming it up because pasta always gets thirsty overnight.

Leftovers last like 3 days in the fridge. Sometimes I throw in leftover rotisserie chicken to make it more filling (Mia loves this version even more). You’re gonna thank me later! 🙌