This Lemon Asparagus Spring Pasta makes a perfect spring dinner to highlight my favorite vegetable this time of year: asparagus!

Easy Spring Pasta Dinner

We are fully embracing spring today with this seasonal, light pasta featuring the season’s most famous vegetable: asparagus.

Pasta used to get a bad rap for its carbohydrate content, but carbs are making a comeback! There is nothing wrong with eating one of the world’s most delicious foods for dinner. Especially when paired with a favorite spring vegetable: asparagus. Nutrition is all about balance over time. 

Lightened Up Sauce

This pasta dish is lighter than a cream-based alfredo, which means it’s great for a quick weeknight meal. I like to split the different and do a little cream to mix with the starchy water so I’m getting the flavor of a cream sauce without feeling super full at the end of the meal. 

Asparagus is a vegetable that my kids will (sometimes) eat as well, so this makes a good family friendly dinner as well. Leave the asparagus on the side for picky eaters and the whole family can enjoy the “noodles.” 

Lemon Asparagus Spring Pasta

This pasta recipe won’t weigh you down winter-style. It’s a light and easy pasta dish that comes together in under 30 minutes. (Is there any other kind of recipe?) You can use any pasta you have on hand, but fresh pasta will make it extra special. (We get ours from Mona Lisa Pasta here in Cville.) 

Ingredients

Here’s the lemon asparagus pasta ingredient list:

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

To modify for dietary preferences

To alter this recipe for other dietary preferences, you could make this sauce with nutritional yeast, using vegan pasta, and leaving out the pancetta (or using a bacon tempeh!) 

Add more protein

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

Instructions

Prep the asparagus + garlic

Get a large pot of salted water boiling for the pasta. Snap or chop off the bottom inch or so of the asparagus. Cut the rest of the stalks of asparagus into 2-3-inch pieces. Mince the garlic finely or send through your garlic press.

Cook the pancetta

Cook the bacon or pancetta in a large saucepan over medium high heat. When it’s nice and crispy (careful to not let it burn!), remove with a slotted spoon and let drain on a paper towel lined plate. Remove the grease from the pan, leaving just a couple teaspoons. 

Saute asparagus and garlic

In the same saucepan, reduce the heat to low and add the asparagus. If you’re using thin asparagus, saute for 5 minutes, until crisp tender. Thicker asparagus might need a few extra minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic.

Cook the pasta

Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to instructions. If using fresh pasta, it should only take 2-3 minutes for al dente.

Make the sauce

When the pasta is ready, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water to use for the sauce, then drain the rest. Add the pasta to the large saucepan. Add in the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and black pepper, stirring or tossing to combine. Finally, add in ½ cup of the pasta water, stirring until a nice light sauce forms. If the pasta looks dry, add a few more splashes of the pasta water or use a nice white wine for extra flavor. If you prefer a creamier sauce, you can sub in some of the volume of starchy water for heavy cream. 

Toss and garnish

Finally, to the cooked pasta toss in the pancetta, asparagus, lemon zest and cheese to finish! Sprinkle with more parmesan on top and cracked black pepper to serve. A few red pepper flakes make a great garnish too. 

Here are some more pasta recipes to add to your meal plan: 

Clearly I love my pasta as pasta salad!

 Dive in!

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