Celebrate the season with asparagus pasta! Lemon-roasted asparagus pairs with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese for an irresistible dinner recipe.
As soon as the first warm spring days arrive, we start longing for all that greenery. Here’s a great way to use those popular light green spears: Lemon Parmesan Asparagus Pasta! This pair of fluffy tagliatelle pasta with roasted asparagus with lemon, garlic and parmesan cheese. Topped with seasoned breadcrumbs and peppery basil leaves, the flavor combination is incredibly fresh and tangy. This one quickly disappeared here: and we hope you like it just as much!
Ingredients for this asparagus pasta recipe
These asparagus pasta use bold flavors to achieve a restaurant quality pasta recipe! There are a few secret ingredients that take the flavor up a few notches. The basic idea? Roast the asparagus and lemon wedges, then toss with the pasta and a garlic and olive oil mixture. Here’s what you need:
- Tagliatelle or Fettuccine: Any wide, flat noodle works well here. The tagliatelle are very large and have a nice chewy texture. You can also do this with bucatini (hollow spaghetti) or spaghetti if you prefer.
- asparagus
- olive oil
- lemon
- Garlic
- Dried oregano
- Calabrian peppers or red pepper flakes: These add a touch of complexity without making the dish spicy
- pieces of parmesan
- italian panko: it’s thick, seasoned breadcrumbs: see notes below!
- basil leaves: The basil gives the dish a nice fresh and peppery taste
- salt and pepper
Tips for roasting asparagus and lemon
The star of this pasta is the lemon asparagus, gently roasted in a hot oven! We like roasting asparagus because it gets incredibly tender and the flavor softens a bit, while sautéed asparagus can still be a little tender and crispy. Here are our tips for roasting asparagus:
- Find thin asparagus if you can. Fine asparagus is more tender and sweeter in taste! Of course, it’s not always possible to find thin spears, so you can work with what’s in stock.
- Cut off the very thick parts. Any part closer to white than green: cut it off immediately! We like to cut anything that’s particularly thick, as it can have a chewy texture.
- Fry the asparagus with lemon wedges directly on the pan. It’s the best way to bring that lemon flavor to all the veggies! You will also add lemon zest and mix everything.
Add Italian panko for a crunch
Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb mix that is lighter and airier than regular breadcrumbs. Here it gives this asparagus pasta just the right crunchy texture. We like to use Italian panko because it has extra spices: they add that extra punch! You can also use them in place of croutons on a salad (like in this romaine lettuce or butter lettuce).
- “Italian” means that herbs and salt are added. You should be able to find Italian panko or panko easily at your local grocery store.
- You only have regular panko? Use it and add just a little more salt. If you like, you can mix with some dried oregano or basil.
- And for gluten free? If you’re making this with gluten-free pasta, you can also find gluten-free panko in stores or online.
Ways to serve pasta with asparagus
The most important thing when serving this pasta with asparagus? Associate it with a protein! It’s not loaded with proteins, so consider adding a vegetarian, fish, or meat protein of your choice when serving. Here are a few ideas:
More asparagus recipes
It’s season! Stock up on green spear recipes that are plentiful in grocery stores. Here are some other asparagus recipes to try:
This Lemon Asparagus Pasta Recipe is…
Vegetarian. For gluten-free, use gluten-free pasta and panko.
The description
Celebrate the season with asparagus pasta! Lemon-roasted asparagus pairs with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese for an irresistible dinner recipe.
For the asparagus
- 1 Pound thin asparagus spears, cut into pieces 2” Rooms
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Lemon (zests from half, plus slices from the other half)
For the noodles
- 8 ounces Tagliatelle or Fettuccine
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ⅛ teaspoon chopped calabrian peppers or ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup pieces of parmesan
- 2 tablespoons Spiced Italian Panko
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves for garnish
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Fry asparagus: Trim the tough bottom ends of the asparagus and cut into 2-inch pieces. Place the stalks on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle the asparagus with the olive oil and add the kosher salt and a few black peppercorns.
- Halve the lemon crosswise. Thinly slice 4 slices of half a lemon, then place them on the baking sheet. Grate the other half of the lemon, sprinkle over the asparagus and toss with your hands so it is well coated. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until tender when pierced through the thickest part with a fork. The timing depends on the thickness of the asparagus tips.
- Cook pasta: Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta al dente (test a minute or two before package directions say). Do not drain.
- In the serving bowl, combine olive oil, oregano, grated garlic, and paprika. When the noodles are cooked, use tongs to transfer the noodles from the boiling water to the bowl of oil mixture without draining. Toss with the olive oil mixture until coated. Add the roasted asparagus and mix. (Transfer to a serving platter or individual plates, if desired.)
- Garnish with parmesan shavings and panko. Add the basil leaves and serve immediately.
- Category: main course
- Method: roast meat
- Kitchen: Vegetables
- Diet: vegetarian
Keywords: Asparagus pasta, asparagus pasta, asparagus pasta recipe
