Lemony asparagus pasta is bright and fresh pasta dish for spring made with a garlic parmesan white sauce sauce. Made gluten free with chickpea pasta, it can also be made dairy free and comes together in just 30 minutes!
Asparagus for spring? Groundbreaking. But asparagus in lemony white wine pasta?! Amaaazing!
Spring produce is poppin’ right now and I’m enjoying finding different ways to use asparagus and lemon in new recipes for the season. A lot of what I’m inspired to bake and cook comes from what’s in season — no surprise there with all the pumpkin!
I love the tart fresh flavor of lemon in pretty much everything so it was a no brainer to make it the star of this pasta recipe that’s perfect for spring. Lemon and asparagus go together like salt and pepper so the whole thing just works!
The lemony sauce comes together easily with just a few simple ingredients plus some white wine. Heavy cream is found in a lot of traditional pasta sauce recipes, but as you’ll see below, I swapped that for a dairy free alternative and included another suggestion for how to make this recipe completely dairy free.
I used bowtie chickpea pasta when making it for more protein and fiber, but any type and any shape of pasta will definitely work. Leave it plant based or top with chicken or salmon for a really well balanced meal.
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Ingredients for Lemony Asparagus Pasta
- bowtie pasta — I used Banza chickpea pasta for more protein and fiber, however you can use any type of pasta and any shape you like.
- asparagus — if you wanted to substitute from broccoli, I’m sure that would work also!
- butter
- fresh garlic
- unsweetened oat milk — I like using unsweetened oat milk as a dairy free alternative in place of heavy cream or regular milk in recipes.
- dry white wine, like Sauvignon Blanc
- lemons
- salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
- grated parmesan cheese
- pasta water — this just means water that the pasta has cooked it. You save a little when you drain the pasta.
- crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
equipment / utensils:
- saucepan — I’m obsessed with my always pan from OurPlace! Use code “PUMPKIN10” for $10 off if you want to try one out for yourself
- steamer basket
- grater/ zester
Making this recipe dairy free
Making this lemony asparagus pasta dairy free is easy! As stated in the recipe, I used unsweetened oat milk in place of dairy. I like using unsweetened oat milk any place that typically using milk or heavy cream because oat milk is thicker and creamier than almond milk — giving you a richer texture that’s more like what you would get if using regular milk or cream.
A great substitute for parmesan cheese in this recipe is nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast has a nutty, cheese-like flavor that’s dairy free. Use it in the recipe and sprinkle it on top just as you would parmesan cheese. What’s also great about it is it’s a good source of B vitamins needed for energy production!
Lemony Asparagus Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb. bowtie pasta
- 1 lb. asparagus trimmed and cut into 2″ pieces
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup unsweetened oat milk
- 1 cup dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc
- zest of 2 lemons
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. freshly cracked pepper
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus more for serving
- 1/2 cup pasta water
- 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water.
- Wash asparagus, trim off the ends and cut into 2″ pieces.
- Add about 1/2″ of water to a saucepan, with a steamer basket. Bring the water to a boil and place the asparagus pieces flat on to the basket. Cover and steam until tender, about 4-5 minutes.
- In a saucepan heat butter and minced garlic over medium heat. Sautee until fragrant, then add the oat milk, white wine, lemon zest and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and then let simmer for about 5 minutes until slightly reduced and thicker.
- Stir in the salt, freshly cracked pepper, and parmesan cheese. Add the pasta and asparagus, and small amounts of the pasta water mixing together until all the noodles are well covered and the consistency is creamy but not too thick.
- Serve and enjoy with extra parmesan cheese, black pepper and red pepper flakes on top if desired.
more lemon recipes you’re sure to love!
- lemon sugar cookies {GF & DF}
- pink lemonade bars {GF & DF}
- lemon banana chia seed muffins {GF & DF}
- raw lemon coconut bars {GF & DF}
- blueberry lemon energy bites {GF & DF}
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