Asparagus Lemon Garlic Pasta

This Asparagus Lemon Garlic Pasta is a perfect spring recipe. Toss asparagus and pasta in a lemon garlic butter sauce to make a simple lemon asparagus pasta.

This asparagus pasta recipe is PERFECT for spring

Asparagus was definitely one of those foods that I did not appreciate when I was younger. My parents forced us to eat it and I thought it was just the worst.

Now that I am older I do things like add a full bunch of asparagus to my pasta! Start with blanched asparagus, then make a simple lemon garlic and butter pasta sauce and finally toss it all together with some noodles!

This simple pasta incorporates so many bright spring flavors into one dish. It is the perfect thing to serve for date night or a small dinner party.

Kitchen tools

• Cutting board and sharp knife
• Large pot
• Frying pan or large skillet
• Measuring cups and measuring spoons
• Liquid measuring cup
• Wooden spoon
• Colander for draining pasta

Serving suggestions

Add extra protein to this lemon asparagus pasta recipe by serving it with chicken or shrimp. I like to make my cast iron chicken breast recipe. Then, I cut it into strips and toss it with the cooked pasta dish.

You could also serve this with a delicious lemon pepper salmon and a green salad. I like to serve it with an arugula salad with a simple lemon vinaigrette.

Ingredients

• Aspragus
• Pasta
• Garlic cloves
• Olive Oil
• Butter
• Fresh lemon juice
• Parmesan cheese
• Lemon zest

Ingredient Substitutions

To make this recipe vegan, use a plant based butter to make the garlic butter lemon sauce and omit the parmesan cheese.

You can use any kind of pasta for this recipe. I like to use a shorter noodle like rigatoni, fusili or penne pasta because I think it works well with the sauce and asparagus mixture. To make this recipe gluten free, use a gluten-free pasta.

If you don’t like asparagus, you could use another green vegetable instead. I like to make this pasta with peas or chopped broccolini. You could also mix some white beans in with the veggies to add more protein and fiber to the dish.

Add a little spice to this dish by mixing some red pepper flakes into the lemon garlic pasta sauce.

How to make an Asparagus Lemon Garlic Pasta

Step 1: Prep and blanch asparagus

To begin, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Mince cloves of garlic.

Then, trim asparagus and slice stalks into 1.5 inch pieces. Add asparagus to the boiling water to blanch for 1-2 minutes.

Next, remove the asparagus from the water, drain and set aside. Keep the pot of water on the heat and return to a boil. Once boiling again, add the pasta to the pot.

Step 2: Make lemon, garlic and butter pasta sauce

Then, heat olive oil and minced garlic in a large frying pan over medium low heat and saute for 3 minutes. Add the butter to the pan and cook for 2 minutes.

Then, add the lemon juice to the pan and cook for another minute. Add the parmesan cheese to the sauce and mix until thoroughly melted in.

Cook the pasta for about 8 minutes or until al dente, before draining, remove 1/4 cup of pasta water from the pot and pour into the sauce.

Step 3: Toss in pasta and blanched asparagus and serve

Finally, add drained pasta to the pan with the sauce and toss to coat, then add the blanched asparagus to the pan and toss again.

Serve the pasta with lemon zest, black pepper, and grated parmesan cheese.

Tips and tricks

No need to spend time carefully trimming asparagus. Just bend them an the woody ends will break off at the spot where the asparagus becomes tender.

Cook your pasta in lots of kosher salt to ensure that it is flavorful. You know that the water is salty enough when it tastes like salt water.

Storage and reheating

Store this lemon garlic butter pasta in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stove top in a frying pan over medium-low heat with some extra oil or butter.

Grate extra fresh parmesan cheese and lemon zest over the top to refresh the dish before serving.

Check out these other delicious vegetarian pasta recipes!

• Baked Feta and Broccoli Pasta
• Mushroom Alfredo Pasta
• Spicy Pumpkin One Pot Pasta
• Super Green Pasta Sauce

You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!

Recipe

Asparagus Lemon Garlic Pasta

★★★★★ 4.8 from 5 reviews

A delicious and fresh asparagus pasta recipe tossed in a homemade lemon garlic butter sauce

Recipe By: Madeline

Prep: 5 minutesCook: 15 minutesTotal: 20 minutes

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Servings: 3 servings 1x

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Ingredients

• 1 bunch of asparagus
• 8oz pasta
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• Lemon zest, black pepper, and parmesan cheese for garnish

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Instructions

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Mince cloves of garlic. Trim asparagus and slice stalks into 1.5 inch pieces. Add asparagus to the boiling water to blanch for 1-2 minutes.
2. Remove the asparagus from the water, drain and set aside. Keep the pot of water on the heat and return to a boil. Once boiling again, add the pasta to the pot.
3. Heat olive oil and minced garlic in a large frying pan over medium low heat and saute for 3 minutes. Add the butter to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Then, add the lemon juice to the pan and cook for another minute. 
4. Add the parmesan cheese to the sauce and mix until thoroughly melted in. Cook the pasta for about 8 minutes or until al dente, before draining, remove 1/4 cup of pasta water from the pot and pour into the suace
5. Add drained pasta to the pan with the sauce and toss to coat, then add the blanched asparagus to the pan and toss again.
6. Serve the pasta with lemon zest, black pepper, and grated parmesan cheese.

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.