Penne Pesto Primavera

4.71 from 17 votes

Penne Pesto Primavera is the ultimate comfort meal. You can make this incredible delicious pasta recipe in under 30 minutes. This pesto pasta recipe is kids approved and makes budget friendly restaurant quality meal at home.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: cups

Calories: 405kcal

Author: Prajakta Sukhatme

Ingredients

8 ounces Pasta - I used gluten free penne
4 Tablespoons Pesto sauce
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3-4 cloves Garlic Minced
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup mushrooms cleaned and quartered
2 cups baby spinach
¼ cup Fresh basil leaves for garnish optional
⅛ teaspoon Salt & ground Black Pepper
⅛ teaspoon Red chilli flakes for extra spice boost optional
¼ cups finely grated Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast

Instructions

Make the vegetables

Heat olive oil in a Sauté Pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms. Sprinkle some salt. Sauté and cook till they start to release the water. (2-4 minutes )
Add the broccoli and minced garlic; cover and cook for another 3-4 minutes until broccoli is tender. Add baby spinach and mix it well. Spinach wilts quickly. Turn off the heat and remove the vegetables from the skillet and set aside.

To Make Pasta

Make the pasta according to the package directions and cooking time. In the boiling water, I add tablespoon of oil and 1 teaspoon of salt so pasta gets the taste and doesn't stick together.
Reserve ½ cup of cooked water and drain the pasta completely in the colander. Rinse it with cold water to prevent it from further cooking. Let water drain out completely.

Mix It All Up

Add drained pasta in the pasta bowl. Mix it with the pesto sauce . Add the cooked vegetables along with the fresh basil; stir and toss well to combine. If the sauce needs a little more liquid, splash in a small amount of reserved cooking water.
Serve it in bowls. Sprinkle with extra basil, and serve with grated Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast and freshly ground black pepper and chili flakes. Bon Appetit!

Instant Pot Instructions

Start the Instant Pot on SAUTE mode and add the oil. Once oil is heated, add mushrooms, broccoli and garlic. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and let them cook until mushrooms start to release the water. (3-5 minutes)
Once mushrooms have browned, add baby spinach and mix well. Cancel SAUTE. Remove cookedvegetables and set them aside.
Add water and deglaze the pot by scrapping the bits stuck at the bottom. Make sure nothing is stuck at the base. Add pasta, enough
water to cover the pasta (about 2 cups..do NOT push the pasta down under water)
Add some salt and remaining olive oil. Close the lid. Valve at SEALING.
Check the cooking time mentioned on the pasta box. Now press MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK and choose half of the cooking time suggested on the box. (usually 4-5 minutes)
Once Instant Pot finishes cooking and goes to KEEP WARM timer, wait for 5 minutes and then release the leftover pressure by moving the valve from SEALING to VENTING. After the silver pin drops, open the lid.
Stir in sautéed vegetables and pesto sauce. Add salt and pepper. Gently mix everything well together. Garnish with fresh chopped basil, red chili flakes and black pepper and nutritional yeast (or parmesan if using) and serve. Bon Appetit !

Notes

Can I double this recipe?

Besides weeknight dinners, this carbo-licious pasta recipe is perfect for special occasions or just for when company comes over. Afterall, who doesn’t like pasta, right?

With the amount of ingredients listed, this recipe makes 6 generous servings. You can however easily double or triple the amount to serve larger group. It stores well as well.

Is this Recipe vegan?

If you use nutritional yeast or vegan plant based cheese instead of regular parmesan cheese, this recipe is vegan. Do choose certified vegan pesto sauce as well.

Nutrition