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Embrace all the best flavors of spring with my Asparagus Pasta recipe! This creamy, veggie-loaded pasta with asparagus is done in no time with simple, fresh ingredients that taste delicious for a unique twist on pasta sauce.
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Asparagus Pasta Dish
When you're craving creamy, cheesy pasta but want to keep it fresh and light, today's recipe is the answer! With the arrival of spring I've been looking for new asparagus recipes that would be fast, easy, and make the most of every bite. That's why I settled on asparagus sauce for pasta, packed with all the best flavors of spring!
The goal of this recipe was to embody "waste not, want not!" After all, asparagus is pricey, and I always feel terrible wasting the stalks. So why not make something delicious out of them? By using the stalks for sauce and the tops for serving with the pasta, there's no waste- only flavor.
The best part is that this is a creamy pasta sauce without cream! This makes it ultra low fat while not sacrificing on that irresistible texture. Of course, you can also customize it as you see fit by adding more cheese, lemon juice, olive oil, or spice it up with some fresh herbs like basil or oregano.
Tools to Make Asparagus Pasta
- A blender, food processor, or immersion blender for blending the sauce smooth.
- A cheese grater or microplane zester for grating the parmesan.
- A sharp knife for cutting asparagus (this works better than snapping!).
- A pot or saucepan for boiling the peas and cooking pasta.
- A fine sieve.
- A skillet for sauteing asparagus!
Ingredients in Asparagus Pasta
- Asparagus: You can use either fresh or frozen asparagus for this recipe. Trim them liberally so you have two piles, one of short asparagus spears and one of the tougher stems. Keep both, don't discard the stems.
- Green peas: Fresh or frozen peas will work great.
- Parmesan cheese: I like grating my own fresh parmesan as it melts in and makes the sauce creamier.
- Salt and black pepper: To taste.
- Lemon zest: Fresh lemon zest adds a bright flavor that livens up the sauce. You can also use lemon juice.
- Butter: I love using regular butter to saute the asparagus spears, but for a dairy-free option you can use oil or vegan butter!
- Optional variations:
- Olive oil: Adding extra olive oil can make for a silkier sauce. I recommend adding olive oil instead of water to thin it.
- Lemon juice: I prefer the bright flavor of zest, but adding a little juice is a great way to make the flavors bolder.
- Garlic: Saute some garlic cloves before adding the to the blender!
- Herbs: You can always add fresh herbs to the blender to change things up. My favorite is fresh basil.
- Spice: Red pepper flakes are a great way to add a little heat!
Isabel's Top Tip
You can use the stems from your favorite asparagus recipe for this sauce, too! I love to save the trimmed stems any time I make asparagus so I can use them in asparagus pasta later. Looking for a great asparagus recipe? Try any of my favorites!
Asparagus Pasta
Equipment
- Saucepan for cooking sauce
- Large pot for cooking pasta
- Skillet for cooking asparagus
- Sieve
- Food processor or blender
- Cheese grater or zester
Ingredients
- 1 bunch Asparagus
- 1¼ cups Green peas - fresh or frozen
- 6 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese - freshly grated
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- Black pepper - to taste
- 2 teaspoons Lemon zest - or to taste
- 1 Tablespoon Butter - for cooking asparagus tips
- 8 oz Pasta - of choice
Instructions
- Boil water in a medium to large saucepan, enough to cover the asparagus and peas. In a separate pot, boil salted water for pasta. Prepare the pasta to package directions.8 oz Pasta
- Using a knife, liberally trim off the stems of the asparagus, leaving a pile of asparagus tips and a pile of stems. Set both aside. If using frozen peas, thaw them in a strainer or a dish of warm water.1 bunch Asparagus,1¼ cups Green peas
- Once the water not used for pasta is boiling, add the asparagus stalks (not the tips) and peas, and let simmer for 10 minutes or until the stalks are very soft.
- Strain the peas and asparagus stalks, then add them to a blender or food processor and blend until very smooth.
- Pass the blended sauce through a fine sieve, pressing down with a spoon until any remaining fibrous bits are removed. Discard anything left in the sieve. Mix the parmesan and lemon zest into the creamy sauce.6 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese,2 teaspoons Lemon zest
- Finally, add the butter and asparagus tips to your skillet and cook over medium-high heat until golden brown and soft, and season with salt and pepper.1 Teaspoon Salt,1 Tablespoon Butter,Black pepper
- Combine the pasta, sauce, and asparagus tips in a bowl and mix well, then serve with extra parmesan cheese and enjoy!
Notes
- You don't need to pour the sauce through a sieve, but I highly recommend it. Using a sieve makes sure there are no fibrous bits or chunks left over, ensuring a creamy sauce.
- You can use frozen peas or fresh peas! If you're using frozen, make sure to thaw them first so the water doesn't cool down too much when they're added.
- Frozen asparagus works great in this recipe!
- You can easily make this into a vegan pasta sauce by using vegan parmesan (or nutritional yeast!) and vegan butter!
Nutrition
Hi, I'm Isabel! I've been sharing my recipes online, in cookbooks, and in TV specials since 2012. The most important thing to me is Sunday supper with my family, and inspiring togetherness with my recipes!
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Asparagus Pasta Detailed Instructions
Step 1: Boil water and prepare your pasta! You'll need two pots: one for boiling the vegetables and one for making your pasta. Do not salt the vegetable water. The pasta can be prepared to box instructions, as normal.
Step 2: Wash the asparagus and peas well. If using frozen peas, thaw them in a dish of lukewarm water. Then trim the asparagus, cutting off most of each stem so that the tips are only about 2" long. Save the stalks, don't discard them!
Step 3: Once the vegetable water is boiling, add the asparagus stalks and peas to the pot and let them simmer for 10 minutes, or until the stalks are very soft and mash easily with a spoon.
Step 4: Strain the vegetables, then place them in a blender and blend until very smooth. Then pour the blended pea and asparagus sauce through a fine sieve, stirring with a spoon until all the creamy liquid passes through. Discard solids left behind in the sieve.
Step 5: Add the parmesan cheese and lemon zest to the sauce. You can adjust the consistency by adding a little olive oil to make it silkier, or use reserved pasta water.
Step 6: Add the butter to a skillet and melt it over medium-high heat, then add the asparagus. Cook until nicely golden brown and soft.
Step 7: Assemble the pasta! Pour the sauce into the pasta and stir well, then add the asparagus. Serve with extra parmesan cheese and enjoy!
Tips for Making Asparagus Pasta
- You don't need to pour the sauce through a sieve, but I highly recommend it. Using a sieve makes sure there are no fibrous bits or chunks left over, ensuring a creamy sauce.
- You can use frozen peas or fresh peas! If you're using frozen, make sure to thaw them first so the water doesn't cool down too much when they're added.
- Frozen asparagus works great in this recipe!
- You can easily make this into a vegan pasta sauce by using vegan parmesan (or nutritional yeast!) and vegan butter!
FAQ
The type of pasta is up to your preferences, but I prefer larger noodles like ziti, rigatoni, and fusilli, which have lots of grooves and curves to hold on to sauce. Larger pasta also makes it easier to get a bite of asparagus and pasta at the same time.
Absolutely! You can make it creamier by adding heavy cream into the sauce and heating it to simmering. I like doing this when I'm serving kids who tend to like a thick, creamy sauce.
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