Spring Pasta with Asparagus and Peas
shrimp / parmesan
Fresh asparagus is one of the best parts of spring. Paired with creamy al dente pasta, sweet peas, and savory shrimp, you'll be enjoying every last bite.
Smarts: Pasta water + cheese = creamy sauce without having to use cream!
Ingredients
- Shrimp - 1 lb, peeled and deveined
- Parmesan - 4 oz, grated
- Garlic - 3 cloves, minced
- Green onions - 3 stalks, sliced
- Asparagus, thin or thick spears - 1 lb
- Pasta, like fettuccine or linguine - 8 oz
- Olive oil - 1 Tbsp
- Butter - 2 Tbsp
- Peas - 1 1/2 cups
- Lemon juice - 1 Tbsp
- Black pepper - 1/2 tsp
- Red pepper flakes - for serving
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Shrimp - Defrost, rinse, and pat dry. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper.
- Parmesan - Grate. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Garlic / Green onions - Prep as directed. (Can be done up to 4 days ahead)
- Asparagus - Slice into 2” / 5 cm long pieces.
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Make
- Bring a saucepan of water to boil. Salt generously and add pasta. Cook until al dente, tender but not soggy. Save 1 cup / 235 ml (for 4 servings; adjust accordingly if customizing) of salty, starchy pasta water before draining.
- While pasta is cooking, heat a saute pan over medium-high heat.
- Add olive oil and then shrimp to heated oil. Saute until pink and cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Return pan to medium-high heat and add butter to the pan. After butter melts, add garlic and green onions.
- Once you can smell the aromatics, toss in the asparagus and the peas. Saute thinner asparagus for 2 to 3 minutes, 4 to 7 minutes for thicker spears.
- Add pasta to the veggies with pasta water and parmesan cheese. Toss until you get a creamy sauce. Finish with lemon juice and black pepper. Season to taste with more salt as needed.
- Divide into bowls and top with shrimp. Enjoy with more parm, and if you’re feeling fancy, zest some lemon over each plate / bowl of pasta and sprinkle with some red pepper flakes for more spice.
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
90 reviews
You take shrimp and asparagus and put it in a pasta with a cheesy creamy sauce. Of course it's delicious. As usual, I added more garlic.
0 HelpfulThis was DELICIOUS! My family loved it. My sauce was extra thick because I added too much cheese. I used the pre-grated cheese that comes in the bag, not the shaker bottle. I also melted it with the water in a separate small pot as some others suggested. It melted beautifully. I didn't add the peas because mine were still frozen and it was getting late. I just used asparagus and it was perfect. You couldn't tell anything was missing. We ran out of pasta though. Next time I will just cook the whole box and not toss the pasta in the sauce. I'm sure it was because my sauce was extra thick, but it was hard to toss everything together. Because of that some people took more pasta than others.
0 HelpfulWe made some modifications based on what we had on hand, but it was delicious! Simple and satisfying. I used snap peas instead of peas and asparagus, and omitted the green onions. I also used a little more butter :)
0 Helpful