A beautiful light citrus pasta with parmesan and shaved asparagus.
If you are looking for an easy and fresh tasting pasta dish, this is it. Shaving down asparagus is a wonderful way to get fresh vibrant vegetables in the dish with minimal cooking time. It wraps around the fork easily with the spaghetti and gives a lovely mouth feel while eating
We start by cooking the dry spaghetti noodles in salted water to al dente. Toss fresh garlic, and shaved asparagus in a pan and lightly sauté for 2 minutes. We are looking to just barely get the asparagus flavors alive but not make them wilt and squishy. Add the noodles in with some reserved starchy water, fresh lemon juice, zest, fresh cracked pepper, and excellent quality parmesan cheese. Fresh ingredients are what makes this dish outstanding. Just look how beautiful it is.
The lemon zest is my favorite part. There is just something about the aroma that really opens to the senses and creates such a Spring/Summer taste on the palate. It makes a wonderful side to chicken, white fish, and salmon. I eat it just as it is, all by itself too. It is something I like to whip up for lunches or light dinners when Spring hits. A glass of Rose, sparkling wine, Pinot Grigio, or a crisp white wine like Sauvignon Blanc pairs fabulously.
Here are some of my tasty chicken dishes that would go wonderfully as a main for this pasta dish-
- Easy Sheet Pan Chicken
- Creamy Chicken with Artichokes and Sundried Tomatoes
- Greek Baked Chicken
- Baked BBQ Chicken Breast
The best part about this pasta is that it takes under 20 minutes to make. That is always a winner in my book, especially during warm Spring and Summer days when being in the kitchen is the last thing you want to do.
Okay, let’s get started.
Lemony-Asparagus Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 ounces spaghetti
- 6-7 asparagus, ends trimmed, and peeled with a vegetable peeler
- 1 large lemon, zested and juiced
- 1/8 cup shaved or grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp olive or avocado oil
- fresh cracked pepper
- sea salt
Instructions
- To start get a large pot of salted water boiling. Add the noodles and cook until al dente and reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water.
- You can use the same pot you boiled the noodles in or use a large pan. Heat over medium.
- Add the olive oil, add the garlic, and shaved asparagus. Sauté for 2 minutes. Don't overcook.
- After 2 minutes, add the noodles and toss.
- Add the lemon juice, zest, and reserved water.
- Remove from the heat and toss well.
- Add salt and pepper then give it good mixing. Top with the parmesan cheese.
- Serve immediately.
- ENJOY!
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