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Pasta Verde {Green Pasta} Is A Delicious Welcome to Spring

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Pasta Verde is everything you think spring should be . . . beautifully bright green with loads of fresh veggies. The greens in the dish are asparagus, spinach, leeks, and mint. The intense flavors seem to pop in your mouth. This is an easy recipe that you can whip up in no time.

Pasta Verde or Green pasta is filled with springtime flavors of asparagus, spinach, leeks, and mint. A beautiful welcome to spring.

 

 How to make pasta verde

We posted Pasta Verde several years ago and we love it so much we want to share it again in case you missed it the first time.

First, roast the asparagus,  it intensifies the taste and improves the texture of the asparagus. It remains firm,  not overcooked or mushy.

Pasta Verde, Green Pasta vegetables make a fresh bright pasta dish.

 

Second, use Ricotta Salata because it has a strong flavor and a bit more salt. We used Ricotta Salata in our Rotini With Fresh Lemon And Grape Tomatoes. This cheese seems to bring out the taste of the vegetables and the mint. You don’t need much cheese,  saving on calories,  but enough for the flavor.

A light dressing for pasta verde

Third, the use of fresh mint in the sauce gives a slightly sweet bite. The lightness of flavors continues with the sauce.  The sauce whips into a very light lemony vinaigrette that does not weigh down the pasta and veggies.

Pasta Verde or Green Pasta is a dish that is as fresh as springtime. Bright flavors are loaded in this pasta

 

Although this dish may be big on spring flavors, it is excellent any time of year. We found this recipe was an excellent side along with our Parmesan Broiled Flounder.

Tutti a tavola è pronto!

You may also enjoy these pasta dishes:

Fusilli col Buco with Toasted Breadcrumbs

Pasta Carbonara

Pasta Verde 

These are light pasta meals that are delicious and quick to prepare!

Un caro saluto e alla prossima.

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We love our easy to use pasta pot. For years we’d try to drain the pasta over a colander and finally our kids got us a pasta pot as a gift. I can’t tell you how much easier it is to just drain the pasta over the water and then add it to the pan or bowl that we’re using. Plus! You can use the pot of many other things. How nice is that?! This is similar to the one we have around 6 quart capacity.

Pasta Verde or Green Pasta is loaded with springtime vegetables. Great on taste and low in calories.

Pasta Verde

A spring dish that is loaded with delicious greens. The asparagus is roasted for optimum flavor and the leeks and spinach is quickly sautéd. A little cheese for some additional flavor makes this pasta dish a fantastic welcome to spring. 
5 from 14 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: vegetable side
Cuisine: American-Italian
Keyword: pasta, picnic dish, spring dish
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 770kcal
Author: Marisa Franca at All Our Way

Ingredients

  • 16 oz. dry penne pasta
  • 16 oz. asparagus washed and trimmed
  • 4 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil divided
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • Black pepper
  • 2 cups sliced leeks
  • 2 Tbsp. minced fresh garlic
  • 10 oz. fresh baby spinach
  • 6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 6 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup packed fresh mint leaves chopped
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 2 oz. crumbled ricotta Salata about 1/2 cup

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425 F.
  • For the pasta cook penne in boiling water per package direction; drain.
  • Toss asparagus with 2 tsp. oil and 1 tsp. salt, then season with pepper and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil sprayed with vegetable spray. Roast asparagus until fork-tender, about 10 minutes.
  • Sweat leeks and garlic in 2 tsp. oil in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat until leeks begin to soften. Stir in spinach and cook to slightly wilt. Stir in penne. Set aside.
  • For the vinaigrette, whisk together 6 Tbsp. oil, lemon juice, mint, and 1 tsp. salt. Add ricotta Salata and stir just to combine, then season with pepper. Toss Vinaigrette with pasta mixture to coat. The vinaigrette can be prepared ahead of time so that you can immediately add it to the pasta mixture.

Notes

  • Sand and dirt often settle in the layers of leeks. The best way I've found to clean them is to half the leeks lengthwise and rinse the leeks under cold running water until they are clean, then I slice them.

Nutrition

Serving: 8g | Calories: 770kcal | Carbohydrates: 103g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 1044mg | Potassium: 1056mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 170.9% | Vitamin C: 53.7% | Calcium: 20.4% | Iron: 40.8%

Comments

  2. Claire says

    April 25, 2018 at 8:44 am


    It is school holidays here so I have been spending a lot of time out of the house at the park/zoo/aquarium etc.
    The other day I took the kids to an adventure playground….6 hours I sat watching them! Seriously I was exhausted. BUT I was super happy with our lunch.

    Your pasta salad was lush!!!

    The kids and I enjoyed a big pot of it.
    I packed up some steamed shrimp as well and your delicious stuffed bread. It was a playground banquet!
    It held up so well to being backed in the lunch box and was so much more appealing than the slightly stale sandwiches or greasy sausage rolls that the snack van was serving.

    Thank you for this delicious recipe! I think I was the envy of the playground 😀 😀

    Reply

  3. Sandhya Ramakrishnan says

    April 24, 2018 at 11:25 pm

    How I wish I could eat a bowlful of that pasta. This has everything that I love, especially the asparagus. Can’t wait for my vegetables to start growing, so I can use them up to make this 🙂

    Reply

  4. April says

    April 24, 2018 at 10:31 pm


    Oh Marisa! You made this looks crazy good. What a delicious looking light and healthy pasta you have here! It’s 10:30 pm and now I’m hungry thanks to your mouth watering pics! Great recipe!

    Reply

  5. Michelle says

    April 24, 2018 at 7:11 pm


    I love everything about this fresh pasta salad, love the flavors especially the mint leaves. perfect for spring.

    Reply

  6. Catherine says

    April 24, 2018 at 2:23 pm

    This is certainly a perfect Spring dish! I love the bright greens tossed in. Simple meals like this with fresh ingredients are my favorite. Another wonderful meal, Marisa!

    Reply

  8. Karyl Henry says

    April 24, 2018 at 7:14 am

    This looks like a perfect spring recipe! And you could definitely swap out different veggies depending on what you have in the fridge. Saving this one for sure

    Reply

  11. Molly Kumar says

    April 7, 2017 at 3:49 am


    This looks amazing Marissa and I would totally try it. The combination of greens, pasta and ricotta is always such a hit. I’m so glad we are finally in spring and would soon see an abundance of seasonal veggies+fruits 🙂

    Reply

  13. Byron Thomas says

    April 6, 2017 at 8:06 am

    That’s a beautiful pasta, Marisa. I love the leek addition – such an underused ingredient in my opinion. I’m pinning this one to my private to-make recipe board. LOL

    Reply

    • Marisa Franca says

      April 6, 2017 at 8:20 am

      Hi, Byron! Thank you! I love using leeks and you’re right about them being underused. I like roasting them with mushrooms and then putting them on top of fresh arugula. The arugula wilts a bit and I add salt, pepper, fresh lemon juice, and olive oil. It is so good. We put grilled salmon on top of it. Have a great day. 🙂

      Reply

  14. Heather says

    April 5, 2017 at 9:38 pm

    ooo.. lemon and ricotta are my favorite things to add to greens .. this dish is amazing! Healthy, beautiful and easy to make .. then you add in the pasta and you have perfection 🙂

    Reply

  17. Susie says

    April 5, 2017 at 10:06 am

    Hi Marisa……Another my kind of dish…..all in one….tasty and delicious! Thanks, for another inspiration.

    Love you?

    Reply

  18. Noel Lizotte says

    April 4, 2017 at 7:43 pm


    Pretty, fresh, light and easy – a perfect change up from the heavy and hearty pasta dishes I’ve been making all winter! Thanks for giving me a new menu option!

    Reply

    • Marisa Franca says

      April 5, 2017 at 7:09 am

      Hi, Val! Ricotta Salata is a cheese that crumbles and is a little salty. Think of ricotta which is firmer and crumbles in the salad. You can sub another kind of cheese — any kind you and hubby like.

      Reply

  22. Stephanie@ApplesforCJ says

    April 4, 2017 at 3:36 pm

    This sounds like such a delicious combination of veggies and herbs in this. I can almost taste all the Yummy flavors. Would have never thought of the mint but sounds like it would be great with asparagus.

    Reply

  32. Pam Wattenbarger says

    April 3, 2017 at 4:37 pm

    This looks like the perfect meal for spring. I don’t think I have ever had pasta that had mint in it before.

    Reply

  37. Amanda {Striped Sptaula} says

    February 4, 2016 at 11:45 am


    Sounds delicious. Leeks are one of my absolute favorite ingredients for pasta dishes. (I also cannot be trusted around a block of ricotta salata…just saying! 😉 ) Thanks for making me feel like spring on a dreary winter day!

    Reply

    • Marisa Franca says

      February 4, 2016 at 2:48 pm

      Hi Amanda! I’m looking forward to spring too — winter just seems to long. I’m done with it after Christmas. 🙂 I know exactly what you mean about the ricotta salata– YUM!

      Reply

  42. Thistle says

    March 5, 2014 at 9:45 am

    Yes, please! Thank you so much for posting and inspiring! I wish I could come to dinner at your house. 🙂

    Thanks for the recipe!

    Happy day!
    karianne

    Reply

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