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Pasta with Spring Asparagus & Peas

Pasta with Spring Asparagus & Peas

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Submitted by gshad

Pasta with spring asparagus and peas tossed with butter-softened onion, fresh thyme, basil, a squeeze of lemon, and grated Parmesan. A quick green spring pasta on the table in 30 minutes.

YIELD

8 servings

PREP

10 min

COOK

20 min

READY

30 min

Spring on a plate. This is the kind of pasta you make the moment asparagus shows up at the farmers market and the first peas start arriving in the freezer aisle or the garden. Bow-tie or fusilli pasta works best because the shape catches the cut asparagus pieces and frozen peas in its pockets, so you get vegetables in every forkful rather than at the bottom of the bowl.

The sauce is barely a sauce: butter, onion, a small pour of stock that reduces around the asparagus until it just hits crisp-tender, and a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten everything at the end. Fresh thyme during cooking and chopped basil at the finish layer in herbal complexity. A shower of grated Parmesan ties it all together and adds the only real richness the dish needs.

Pro Tips

  • Slice the asparagus on a sharp diagonal. The angled pieces are short enough to fork up with pasta and show their distinctive cut edge.
  • Add the peas at the end, after the heat is reduced. They are already cooked from frozen and turn to mush if they simmer too long.
  • Reserve some pasta cooking water before draining. A splash thins the sauce and helps it coat the pasta if needed.
  • Add the lemon juice gradually, tasting as you go. Too much will overwhelm the delicate spring vegetables.
  • Use real Parmesan, not pre-grated. The pre-grated stuff has anti-caking agents that prevent even melting.

Variations

  • Add cooked shrimp or sliced chicken breast for a heartier non-vegetarian version.
  • Swap the asparagus for thin green beans or sliced sugar snap peas as the season shifts.
  • Stir in a dollop of mascarpone or cream cheese for a richer, creamier finish.

Ingredients

1 453.6
POUND G BOW-TIE PASTA (FARFALLE)
or fusilli pasta
3 45
TABLESPOONS ML BUTTER
2 30
TABLESPOONS ML ONIONS
finely chopped
8 231.2
OUNCES ML/G ASPARAGUS
cut into 1/2 inch slices diagonally
2 10
TEASPOONS ML THYME
fresh, chopped *
½ 473
CUP ML STOCK
1 10
CUP EACH GREEN PEAS
frozen *
¼ 59
CUP ML BASIL
fresh, chopped, optional *
5
ML SALT AND BLACK PEPPER
to taste
1
1
X PARMESAN CHEESE
grated *

Directions

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm, 8 to 10 minutes.

In a large frying pan, melt butter over medium heat.

Add onion and cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until softened.

Stir in asparagus and thyme.

Cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add stock, increase heat to medium-high, and cook until vegetables are crisp tender and stock is reduced, about 3 minutes.

Stir in peas and basil if using, and heat through.

Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

Serve with Parmesan cheese.

* not incl. in nutrient facts Arrow up button

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Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 141g (5.0 oz)
Amount per Serving
Calories 280 19% from fat
 % Daily Value *
Total Fat 6g 9%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 13mg 4%
Sodium 425mg 18%
Total Carbohydrate 16g 16%
Dietary Fiber 3g 10%
Sugars g
Protein 19g
Vitamin A 56% Vitamin C 4%
Calcium 2% Iron 13%
* based on a 2,000 calorie diet How is this calculated?
Low Cholesterol, Trans-fat Free, Good source of fiber
 

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