Lemon Asparagus Pasta
with paprika roasted chickpeas
Pasta water and parmesan cheese form the base of this luscious sauce that perfectly coats and flavors our pasta and asparagus. The paleo version will feature sauteed lemon & thyme shrimp & asparagus. We also roast up chickpeas with Mediterranean spices. If you can't find the spice blend za'atar, just plain paprika will still make a great addition to your side
Ingredients
- Asparagus - 2 lbs
- Garlic - 4 cloves, minced
- Basil - 2 sprigs, sliced
- Pennette - 3/4 lbs ((or sub with other short pasta))
- Olive oil - 1/4 cup
- Parmesan cheese - 2 oz, grated
- Lemon - 1/2, juice of
- Pine nuts - 1/4 cup
- Garbanzo beans (14 oz / 397 g can) - 2 cans, rinsed
- Paprika - 1 1/2 tsp
- Za'atar (opt) - 1 1/2 tsp
- Lemon - 1/2, juice of
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Asparagus - Snap ends off and then chop into 2" (5 cm) long pieces. If spears are thick, slice in half lengthwise first and then chop into shorter pieces
- Garlic / Basil - Prep as directed
- Chickpeas - Rinse
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Make
- Preheat oven to 450F (232C) degrees
- Cook pasta in heavily salted boiling water until it's al dente (tender but with a bite). Save 1 cup (236 ml) of cooking water before draining
- Spread chickpeas out onto a sheet pan and toss with paprika, za'atar (if using), and some salt. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, shaking midway, until they get a crunch
- Heat up a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add in oil and then minced garlic to heated oil. Once you can smell the garlic, add in asparagus with a sprinkle of salt. Saute for 2 minutes
- Add in drained pasta and pasta water. Cook until the water has thickened into a sauce, ~3 more minutes. Turn off heat and add in parmesan cheese and juice from half a lemon. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish pasta with basil and pine nuts
- Finish beans with juice from other half of the lemon
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
10 reviews
I used chickpea pasta so didn’t do homemade chickpeas. I did sprinkle some sea salt chick peas from the good bean on top and my toddler scarfed those right up. She also helped add the Follow Your Heart vegan Parmesan and MOST of it made it into the dish. I had some extra earth balance butter with Greek seasoning from making Tabitha Brown’s “Vallops” (Vegan scallops from Trumpet mushrooms - sooooo good!) and that REALLY made the meal delicious!
0 HelpfulI absolutely loved this the flavors was all there, but my sister wasn't so crazy about it said it like she was eating cotton balls cuz it was so dry..I mixed my chick peas in with the pasta and yummm
0 HelpfulReally a surprising amount of flavor for how simple it was to put together. Agree with others that the chickpeas were quite good, but even better added into the pasta, as they are a bit dry on their own.
0 HelpfulI added a little bit more parmesan cheese and garlic than the recipe asked for and it was delicious. Very light and perfect for a spring day!
0 HelpfulI was afraid this was going to be bland, but it's deceptively tasty. My husband called it "addictive". This is going into the favorites.
0 HelpfulReally liked this - very refreshing and just flavorful enough where you want to have like three bowls of it. And super healthy. I couldn't get the chickpeas crunchy enough to be a finger-food side dish. But like Michael I mixed them with the pasta when having leftovers, and they went together really well.
0 Helpful