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This delicious asparagus pasta makes a fabulous spring pasta dish filled with seasonal asparagus, peas, and bright lemon.
It's beautiful, fresh, green, and ready in 15 minutes!
I love this time of year—the daylight, the blooming, the birds chirping, and the beautiful vegetables that this amazing season has to offer.
And I LOVE it when asparagus is fresh, cheap, and abundant. It's perfect for making this simple asparagus pasta, which requires about 8 ingredients and minimal prep time.
In this recipe, I cook the asparagus and the peas quickly in a large skillet with a touch of pasta water until crisp-tender but still bright green.
To maximize the fresh flavor of the ingredients, I add the extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and seasoning in the last minutes of the cooking time, not at the beginning.
Finally, I toss the drained pasta in the skillet along with the veggies, lemon zest, juice, and parmesan cheese until well coated and juicy!
And… that's all. This light and delicious spring asparagus pasta is ready!
List of the ingredients
- Asparagus
- Peas, fresh or frozen
- Pasta
- Parmesan cheese
- Garlic
- Lemon
- Parsley or basil (optional)
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt & pepper
How to make this asparagus pasta
(Note: this a quick explanation; the full recipe is at the bottom of the page)
- Cook pasta until al dente.
- Saute asparagus, peas, and a touch of pasta water over medium-high heat.
- When asparagus is fork tender, stir in oil, garlic, and seasoning.
- Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet.
- Add lemon zest and parmesan cheese, toss until well combined, and serve.
What to serve with this lemon asparagus pasta recipe
Pasta leftovers
Leftover asparagus pasta keeps well in the fridge in an airtight container for 3 days. However, I wouldn't recommend freezing it.
Are you looking for easy pasta recipes?
If you look for more pasta recipes, I've got you covered: from easy to these and packed with vegetables or beans like:
Lastly, if you make this asparagus pasta, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or tag a photo with #theclevermeal on Instagram.
I would love to hear from you!
Recipe update: originally posted in April 2021, the post has been updated with new recipe notes.
Asparagus pasta
This scrumptious pea and asparagus pasta is easy, elegant and delicious. A light recipe perfect for a last minute spring gathering! The quantities yield to 3 to 4 smallish portions.
Ingredients
- ½ lb asparagus, woody ends snapped off
- 1 ½ cup Fresh or frozen peas, fresh or thawed
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more to drizzle
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- salt and pepper, to taste
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese, plus more to serve
- 1 unwaxed lemon, zest and juice
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley leaves, chopped (optional)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Pasta
- 8 oz pasta (orecchiette, penne, fusilli..)
- Bring a large pot of salty water to the boil and cook your pasta until al dente following the package's directions.
- While the pasta is cooking, wash and cut the asparagus into max 1-inch pieces. If the asparagus are thick, you might cut it lengthwise into halves.
- Place asparagus and peas into a large pan, cover with about ½ inch of pasta cooking water, cover with a lid, and bring the water to the boil. Cook the vegetable over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes. Drain the remaining water and return the pan to the stove.
- Add olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper to the vegetables and saute' for a further 2 minutes or until they are still crisp but fork tender. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and turn the heat off.
- Reserve ½ cup of the pasta cooking water, drain and put the pasta into the pan along with the sauteed vegetables.
- Add parmesan, lemon zest, half of the lemon juice, and toss well to combine. Add a touch of the pasta cooking water gradually (you don't need all of it) and stir well to combine until the pasta is nicely coated.
- Serve immediately with freshly grated parmesan cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil if you wish. Enjoy.
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