Recipes Main Dishes Pasta 20 Light and Delicious Pasta Recipes for Spring By Mary Claire Lagroue Mary Claire Lagroue Mary Claire Lagroue works as an associate commerce editor at Food & Wine. A former associate editor at Allrecipes, she joined Dotdash Meredith in 2019. She has written about food since 2017, and her work can be found in Cooking Light, Southern Living, and more. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Updated on October 14, 2020 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: fabeverydayblog Stick-to-your-ribs pasta recipes seem like fall and winter meals, right? Sure, pasta salad knows no season. But come spring, we love main-dish recipes that amp up the flavors of hearty greens like spinach, broccoli, and asparagus — and fresh produce in general — while letting actual pasta take a bit of a back seat. These recipes do just that. They may even put a bit of, ahem, spring in your step. 01 of 20 Creamy Shrimp Pasta Primavera View Recipe Littlechef This colorful pasta includes red bell pepper, mushrooms, and fresh basil. "You can swap out ingredients and change measurements to your liking," recipe creator Littlechef writes. 02 of 20 Linguini with Roasted Broccoli Pesto View Recipe Buckwheat Queen "Roasting the veggies in the oven makes all the difference," recipe creator caterwauler says. Toasted pine nuts add a satisfying crunch. 03 of 20 Lemon Asparagus Pasta View Recipe "Yum, yum, and more yum," says reviewer France C. "Simple and delicious. The cooking times are spot on. I liked that the asparagus were still a bit crisp. The lemon really makes the recipe, so don't skimp!" 04 of 20 Pasta Primavera with Cauliflower Sauce View Recipe "Kids absolutely loved this," Eddy Glover says. Don't let the silky sauce fool you. It's made from cauliflower, garlic, veggie broth, and Parmesan. No heavy cream here. 05 of 20 High-Protein Spaghetti with Spinach and Tomato Sauce View Recipe CTom This vegetarian recipe gets its flavor from pine nuts, spinach, tomatoes, lemons, and grated Parmesan. Enriched thin spaghetti adds protein. 06 of 20 Gnocchetti Sardi in Pesto Leggero di Zucchine (Zucchini Pesto Pasta) View Recipe Buckwheat Queen "Che buoni! I had to use gluten free penne. Regardless of the pasta shape, this pesto is simple and delicious. I added some extra zucchini wheels at the end, for extra nutrition and fun." -- Buckwheat Queen 07 of 20 Whole-Family Pasta with Broccoli and Cauliflower View Recipe Allrecipes Magazine Ready in just 25 minutes, this easy pasta dish features cannellini beans for protein and two kinds of good-for-you vegetables. "Picky kids loved this," said nycmom. 08 of 20 Penne Pasta with Spinach and Bacon View Recipe abapplez Allrecipes member Jean Tagliere calls this "a quick light meal. Wilted spinach, bacon and tomatoes are tossed with penne pasta. Good for any season and will complement anything." "I knew this recipe was a winner when my husband exclaimed, 'Wow! This tastes like restaurant food!'" raves Allrecipes member treycamey. "It tastes very good the next day, stays moist, and reheats well." 09 of 20 Pasta with Broccoli Rabe (Cima di Rapa) View Recipe Kim's Cooking Now Recipe creator Buckwheat Queen received this recipe from a Sicilian friend. Though Cima di Rapa is a popular winter dish in Italy, spring's abundance of in-season broccoli rabe should be reason enough to cook it now. 10 of 20 Ratatouille Pappardelle View Recipe Allrecipes Magazine Ribbons of pappardelle taste even more delicious with fresh spinach, eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, and red bell pepper. Simmering the dish in tomato sauce, herbes de Provence, and dry red wine add the flavors of a true ratatouille. 11 of 20 Pasta Pomodoro View Recipe MidwestMom You can't go wrong with simple Pasta Pomodoro. "I have made this recipe many times. I use fresh tomatoes and add red wine. I also use lots of fresh grated Romano," Dawn Fronius says. 12 of 20 Chef John's Pasta Primavera View Recipe Deb Berger Snap peas, asparagus, and zucchini play starring roles in this nod to warmer months from Chef John. "This is one of the year's great seasonal recipes; it looks, smells, and tastes like a cool, sunny spring day," he notes. 13 of 20 No-Cream Pasta Primavera View Recipe mommyluvs2cook This take on pasta primavera calls for yellow squash, zucchini, carrot, red bell peppers, grape tomatoes, green beans, and asparagus. Reviewers rave that it also tastes excellent with additions like broccoli, cauliflower, peas, mushrooms, and spinach. 14 of 20 Penne with Chicken and Asparagus View Recipe CookinBug "A light but super-tasty pasta dish with fresh asparagus cooked in broth, sauteed garlic, and seasoned chicken," writes Allrecipes member LAUREL B of her popular recipe. 15 of 20 Easy Vegan Pasta with Kale and Chickpeas View Recipe Rita "This is one of my go-to recipes for a quick, healthy midweek meal, though it's good enough for guests, too," recipe creator Rita says. Garlic packs a punch of flavor, while nutritional yeast gives this vegan dish a subtle cheesy flavor. 16 of 20 Italian Vegetable Fusilli with Basil Mint Pesto View Recipe KBksu31 Mint brings a vibrant spring flavor to this vegetarian dish. Though the recipe calls for fusilli, you can make it with farfalle (as pictured) and other types of pasta. 17 of 20 Instant Pot® Linguine with Pesto and Peas View Recipe fabeverydayblog Pesto, peas, and fresh parsley liven up linguine. Though this dish looks impressive, cooking it in the Instant Pot couldn't be easier. 18 of 20 Shrimp Scampi with Pasta View Recipe naples34102 Angel hair pasta, bright lemon, fresh parsley, and a little spice make this dish lighter for the season. "Loved it!" raves Allrecipes member kjpatter. "I like my food a little spicy, so I added more red pepper and salt. Easy and delicious. Try it, you won't regret it!" 19 of 20 Veggie Penne Alfredo View Recipe This light take on pasta with Alfredo features in-season sugar snap peas, zucchini, and yellow squash. "This could be a meal with pieces of cooked chicken," reviewer thedailygourmet writes. 20 of 20 Pasta with Arugula and Tomatoes View Recipe barbara "Light, fresh, delicious! I love the peppery flavor of arugula," home cook Saveur writes. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit