Creamy Lemon Asparagus Pasta is so quick and easy to make! It’s a bright and fresh spring meal filled with loads of vegetables. Serve it as a meatless meal or along side some grilled chicken or fish.
It’s asparagus season and one of my favorite ways to enjoy it is in a big bowl of this Creamy Lemon Asparagus Pasta. It’s a great way to get in lots of veggies but still have a little comfort. For more quick veggie filled pasta recipes, try my Pasta Primavera, Vegetable Lo Mein, and Creamy Tomato Chicken Florentine.
The lemon pairs perfectly with asparagus and really elevates the dish with it’s tangy bright refreshing flavor. Add as much or as little lemon juice as you’d like!
Creamy Asparagus Pasta
This meal is seriously so easy to make! While the pasta cooks you’ll cook the sauce and veggies so that everything is ready to be mixed together at the same time.
HOW TO MAKE CREAMY LEMON ASPARAGUS PASTA:
- Boil noodles according to package. Add in the asparagus when 4 minutes remain and the peas when 2 minutes remain. Scoop out and reserve 1/4 cup starchy cooking water before draining.
- Meanwhile, in a large non-stick skillet, heat oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Stir in the flour and cook 30 seconds.
- Stream in the milk while stirring and then simmer over low heat for about 3-5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in the spinach and salt and cook until spinach wilts.
- Pour the sauce over the pasta and veggies. Add 1/4 cup starchy cooking water, lemon juice and zest, and stir all together until evenly combined. Garnish with Parmesan and parsley.
TIPS FOR COOKING PASTA:
- Salt the water! Once the water comes to a boil, add about 2 teaspoon salt per every quart of water.
- Cook until al dente. Set a timer for the duration suggested on the box and scoop out a noodle to try. It should be firm to the bite. No one wants soggy over cooked noodles.
- Reserve some starchy cooking water! Before draining the pasta, use a coffee mug to scoop out about 1/2 cup of the water.
- Add starchy cooking water to your sauced pasta. The starchy water helps the sauce to really cling to the noodles.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH ASPARAGUS PASTA?
Chicken is a great protein to serve along side this pasta. You can make a simple grilled chicken or a breaded baked chicken. Sometimes I’ll just grill some chicken in the pan before beginning to cook the mushroom and onions.
Any type of fish will also taste great along side this pasta. My Simple Salmon or Garlic Tilapia are great and can bake in the oven while making the pasta.
Steak is also a really nice option especially since it’s so nice outside to grill.
INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS:
MILK– You can use a dairy free milk or use all half-and-half cream, or evaporated milk.
HALF-AND-HALF CREAM– Heavy whipping cream will give you a thicker sauce or evaporated milk is a close equivalent. If you don’t have any kind of cream on hand, use the highest % fat milk you have and add an extra 1/2 tablespoon flour.
VEGETABLES– You can really use whatever vegetables you have on hand in your fridge, freezer, or canned. Add canned vegetables to the sauce, frozen to the pasta water, and fresh to the skillet with the onions. You could add: broccoli, green beans, corn, carrots, peppers, kale, tomatoes, zucchini, summer squash…
LEMON– Don’t have a fresh lemon? Just use bottled lemon juice or omit the lemon completely. It’s still a yummy creamy pasta!
BUTTER– I add butter for flavor. You can opt to just use all oil.
GARLIC– If you don’t have any cloves, use 1 teaspoon of the minced kind from the jar or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder.
LOOKING FOR MORE RECIPES WITH ASPARAGUS? CHECK OUT THESE:
- Honey Garlic Chicken & Asparagus is all cooked in the same skillet and is ready to eat in less than 20 minutes!
- Serve gourmet pizza at home with this Asparagus Ribbon Pizza.
- Spinach Fettuccine with Salmon and Asparagus is one of our favorites!
- Fusilli with Asparagus and Crispy Prosciutto is so yummy with that salty prosciutto on top.
- Mini Hash Brown Quiches are so fun and yummy for brunch.
- For a delicious side dish, try Balsamic Roasted New Potatoes with Asparagus.
- Bacon Wrapped Asparagus takes yor asparagus to a whole new level.
- Get a delicious healthy dinner on the table in less than 20 minutes with this Simple Salmon & Asparagus.
TOOLS USED TO MAKE THIS CREAMY LEMON ASPARAGUS PASTA:
- Pot & Skillet Set– These are the skillets and pots I use. They have a heavy bottom making them sturdy and cook the food evenly. I use these multiple times a day.
- Garlic Press– Fresh garlic tastes best and this is the garlic press I’ve been using for the last 8 years. I love it and it’s easy to clean.
- Microplane/ Zester– I use this from zesting lemon and limes to finely grated Parmesan cheese or chocolate.
Creamy Lemon Asparagus Pasta
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- 1 cup baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup half-and-half cream
- 1 cup spinach, packed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 lemon, zest + juice
For the Pasta:
- 8 ounces pasta
- 1/2 pound asparagus, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 cup green peas, frozen
- Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
- parsley
Instructions
- Boil noodles according to package. Add in the asparagus when 4 minutes remain and the peas when 2 minutes remain. Scoop out and reserve 1/4 cup starchy cooking water before draining.
- Meanwhile, in a large non-stick skillet, heat oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Stir in the flour and cook 30 seconds.
- Stream in the milk while stirring and then simmer over low heat for about 3-5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in the spinach and salt and cook until spinach wilts.
- Pour the sauce over the pasta and veggies. Add 1/4 cup starchy cooking water, lemon juice and zest, and stir all together until evenly combined. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with Parmesan and parsley.
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