Spring vegetable and burrata pasta

There are good hair days, good picture days, good pant days, and good pasta days. This was one of those days when everything in the kitchen worked out perfectly and smoothly. And, best of all, it photographed well too. This spring vegetable and burrata pasta is super easy and quick to make and will definitely make your weeknight lunch list. I mean, how could it not. Anything topped with burrata is heaven on earth.

What is spring pasta called?

While there are many, and I mean when I say many, variations on the Pasta Primavera. Where “primavera” means “spring” in Italian. I think the idea has drifted very far from what it was in the beginning but still hasn’t lost its essence. It is essentially pasta with spring vegetables. That means that there are thousands of interpretations possible. This spring vegetable pasta with burrata is a variation too.

We have the veggies;

We have the pasta;

We add the cheese (here are some facts about Burrata, that you may have not known);

We have fresh herbs that grow in spring and summer.

This spring pasta primavera couldn’t exist without some nice vegetables. I chose what is in season and available in every store at the moment. The almighty zucchini that is an absolute favorite of mine, eggplant and cherry tomatoes. While there are still no local tomatoes available, these already have the hearty sweet taste to them which I had been missing all year. I don’t know how I have lived through this long-ass winter without a propper green and crunchy cucumber and a nice meaty tomato.

While onions are easier to store, I love switching things up from time to time and cook with leeks instead. They are much sweeter but still have the punch that we all want. This creamy spring vegetable pasta wouldn’t be as good without these thinly sliced leeks, cooked in some butter and olive oil until fragrant and translucent.

Lastly, we have the pasta of your choice. Cooked in salted water until al-dente, drained, pasta water reserved. The pasta and the pasta water are then added to the cooked veggies and it all becomes a bright and vibrant sauce. Pasta water is the MVP of the cooking world.

What does pasta water do for sauce?

When you cook pasta, it releases starches in the water. Pasta water helps thicken sauces and make them silky and smooth. It is liquid gold for cooking.

Imagine that I had to go to a different store than usual, a larger one, the largest actually, to get this burrata. And it is really small and I should’ve gotten two. One for me and the other for my husband. But he doesn’t know there was more cheese on the big plate. Whoops.

This cheesy spring vegetable pasta recipe comes together in less than 20 minutes and is so delicious. When cooking with seasonal ingredients, I often find that I don’t really need any more spices than salt and pepper, and occasionally some sugar. I always add at least a sprinkle of sugar to my tomatoes to level the acidity.

There are hundreds of spring vegetable pasta recipes out there and they are all wonderful, so you just have to trust me on this one. This meal will make it to your comfort food list, because of the cheese, the bright and delicious veggies, and because pasta. Pasta makes it to the list instantly.

If you are on a burrata high like me, you can top pretty much anything with it. It is the perfect pizza topping, so go try my 2 day pizza dough!