Vegetable Primavera

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In Italian, primavera (pree-muh-VEHR-uh) means spring style; with foods, it refers to fresh vegetables. This side dish stars squash, carrots, red pepper, and broccoli.

vegetable primavera
Photo:

BHG / Crystal Hughes

Total Time:
20 mins
Servings:
6

This vegetable side dish cooks in just about 10 minutes for an easy weeknight side. Prepping the produce is what will take the longest.

Save Time on Prep

When you're strapped for time, you can utilize pre-chopped veggies from your grocery store's produce department. If they don't happen to have the veggies called for chopped and ready, check the store's salad bar to see if you can find them there. Or use the veggies they do have ready.

Veggie Swaps

If the store doesn't have yellow summer squash, but there is zucchini, that's an easy swap. No red bell pepper, but they do have other color varieties or chopped celery, you can use those instead. Think of this vegetable primavera recipe as a template you can customize with what's available or that you already have on hand and need to use up.

Of course, if you do have 5 to 10 minutes to spare to chop your own veggies, you'll get the freshest flavor. Use our directions to make easy work of cutting broccoli florets from a full head. And if you have a surplus of summer squash, try these 9 different ways of cooking it or these 7 ways to cook bell peppers to keep adding veggies to your meals.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium chicken broth

  • 1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

  • Nonstick spray coating

  • 1 ½ cup sliced yellow summer squash

  • 1 cup packaged, peeled baby carrots

  • 1 cup chopped red bell pepper

  • 3 cups broccoli florets

  • 2 tablespoons snipped parsley

Directions

  1. chicken broth and mustard in bowl

    BHG / Crystal Hughes

    In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon of the chicken broth, the mustard, olive oil, and vinegar. Set aside.

    Dijon-style mustard is made from brown or black mustard seeds, white wine, grape must, and seasonings. It has a sharper flavor than the yellow mustard we often put on hot dogs, which is made from white mustard seeds, sugar, vinegar, and turmeric (for color). See what mustard substitutions you can use in a pinch.

  2. carrots, squash and red bell pepper in skillet

    BHG / Crystal Hughes

    Spray a large nonstick skillet with nonstick coating. Preheat the skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir squash, carrots, and bell pepper in the hot skillet about 5 minutes or until nearly tender.

  3. broccoli, carrots, squash and peppers in skillet

    BHG / Crystal Hughes

    Add broccoli and remaining chicken broth to skillet. Cook, covered, about 3 minutes or until the broccoli is crisp-tender and bright green.

  4. vegetables with mustard mixture in skillet

    BHG / Crystal Hughes

    Stir in the mustard mixture; heat through.

  5. vegetable primavera

    BHG / Crystal Hughes

    To serve, sprinkle with parsley (we prefer the Italian flat-leaf variety). Makes six 3/4-cup servings.

Test Kitchen Tip: Nonstick spray coating not only eliminates the mess of greasing pans, it also saves on fat and calories. For added flavor, look for roasted garlic-, olive oil-, and butter-flavored sprays. Compare the difference of using nonstick spray in place of oil, margarine, or butter by reading the nutrition facts labels. Of course, for richer flavor you can cook in oil or butter instead, the choice is yours.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

56 Calories
3g Fat
7g Carbs
2g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 6
Calories 56
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 3g 4%
Sodium 114mg 5%
Total Carbohydrate 7g 3%
Protein 2g 4%
Vitamin C 58.5mg 65%
Calcium 30.3mg 2%
Iron 0.9mg 5%

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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