Spatzle Primavera is made with vegetables, cream and cheese

Springtime is the right time for Pasta Primavera, which is, after all, the Italian word for spring. There’s some controversy about who invented this wonderful dish, but everyone agrees that it was made famous in the late ‘70s at New York’s Le Cirque restaurant. In any case, the recipe consists of spring vegetables, cream and cheese. How far wrong can you go?

My take on this classic swaps out the traditional Italian pasta for the fresh egg pasta called spatzle, a kind of soft noodle that’s widespread throughout southern Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, Moselle and South Tyrol. “Wait a minute,” you say. >> Recipe: Spatzle Primavera

“Homemade pasta? Sounds like too much work.” Not to worry. The spatzle will be ready to cook in the time it takes to bring a pot of water to a boil.

Spatzle dough is about the consistency of a thick pancake batter, which means it’s much more liquid than typical pasta dough. You can make it with electric beaters or by hand. The only requirement is using the right tool for the job: a spatzle maker. The device looks like a metal washboard with holes on it, topped by a small open box made of metal. You set the “washboard” over the pot of boiling water and pour the batter into the little box. The dough drips through the holes as you slowly move the metal box back and forth along the washboard to cut the strands of pasta. Some folks have suggested that you can use a colander with large holes instead of a spatzle maker, but I’ve never had success with that utensil.

“Who needs yet another kitchen gadget?” you say. I strongly believe that you do. With a spatzle maker in house — you can easily find them online for about $12 — you’ll find yourself making fresh pasta once a week, because doing so is that simple.

Here I’ve combined the pasta with typical spring ingredients — asparagus and peas — along with mushrooms, to make it more substantial. But you’re welcome to toss it instead with any of your favorite sauces.