Lemon Asparagus Spring Pasta • Kath Eats

This Lemon Asparagus Spring Pasta makes an ideal spring dinner to focus on my favourite vegetable this time of yr: asparagus!

Straightforward Spring Pasta Dinner

We’re totally embracing spring right now with this seasonal, mild pasta that includes the season’s most well-known vegetable: asparagus.

Pasta used to get a foul rap for its carbohydrate content material, however carbs are making a comeback! There’s nothing unsuitable with consuming one of many world’s most scrumptious meals for dinner. Particularly when paired with a favourite spring vegetable: asparagus. Diet is all about steadiness over time. 

Lightened Up Sauce

This pasta dish is lighter than a cream-based alfredo, which suggests it’s nice for a fast weeknight meal. I like to separate the completely different and do some cream to combine with the starchy water so I’m getting the flavour of a cream sauce with out feeling tremendous full on the finish of the meal. 

Asparagus is a vegetable that my youngsters will (typically) eat as nicely, so this makes a very good household pleasant dinner as nicely. Depart the asparagus on the facet for choosy eaters and the entire household can benefit from the “noodles.” 

Lemon Asparagus Spring Pasta

This pasta recipe received’t weigh you down winter-style. It’s a light-weight and straightforward pasta dish that comes collectively in beneath half-hour. (Is there some other sort of recipe?) You should utilize any pasta you may have readily available, however contemporary pasta will make it additional particular. (We get ours from Mona Lisa Pasta right here in Cville.) 

Substances

Right here’s the lemon asparagus pasta ingredient record:

• contemporary asparagus
• pancetta (you possibly can sub in bacon)
• contemporary pasta, I like thick noodles
• contemporary lemon zest and juice
• olive oil
• pasta water (optionally available combined with white wine or cream)
• freshly grated parmesan cheese
• black pepper

To change for dietary preferences

To change this recipe for different dietary preferences, you can make this sauce with dietary yeast, utilizing vegan pasta, and leaving out the pancetta (or utilizing a bacon tempeh!) 

Add extra protein

Add extra protein to this recipe by tossing in white beans, diced hen, or sauteed shrimp. 

Directions

Prep the asparagus + garlic

Get a big pot of salted water boiling for the pasta. Snap or chop off the underside inch or so of the asparagus. Reduce the remainder of the stalks of asparagus into 2-3-inch items. Mince the garlic finely or ship by way of your garlic press.

Cook dinner the pancetta

Cook dinner the bacon or pancetta in a big saucepan over medium excessive warmth. When it’s good and crispy (cautious to not let it burn!), take away with a slotted spoon and let drain on a paper towel lined plate. Take away the grease from the pan, leaving only a couple teaspoons. 

Saute asparagus and garlic

In the identical saucepan, scale back the warmth to low and add the asparagus. In case you’re utilizing skinny asparagus, saute for five minutes, till crisp tender. Thicker asparagus may want a number of additional minutes. Add the garlic and cook dinner till aromatic, 1-2 minutes, being cautious to not burn the garlic.

Cook dinner the pasta

Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook dinner in accordance with directions. If utilizing contemporary pasta, it ought to solely take 2-3 minutes for al dente.

Make the sauce

When the pasta is prepared, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water to make use of for the sauce, then drain the remaining. Add the pasta to the massive saucepan. Add within the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and black pepper, stirring or tossing to mix. Lastly, add in ½ cup of the pasta water, stirring till a pleasant mild sauce kinds. If the pasta appears dry, add a number of extra splashes of the pasta water or use a pleasant white wine for additional taste. In case you choose a creamier sauce, you possibly can sub in a number of the quantity of starchy water for heavy cream. 

Toss and garnish

Lastly, to the cooked pasta toss within the pancetta, asparagus, lemon zest and cheese to complete! Sprinkle with extra parmesan on high and cracked black pepper to serve. A couple of purple pepper flakes make an incredible garnish too. 

Listed below are some extra pasta recipes so as to add to your meal plan: 

Clearly I like my pasta as pasta salad!

 Dive in!

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