This recipe is totally out of season, but when I see asparagus on sale I have to just go for it. It’s usually so expensive that it stays on my “no” list, but I splurged a bit today when I saw asparagus on sale for $1.99/lb. I absolutely love asparagus so I wanted to keep the flavors of this dish simple. I went with a classic fresh and zingy lemon garlic combo and, as usual, stretched it all out with some pasta. This Lemon Garlic Asparagus Pasta is so incredibly fast and easy that it’s one of those recipes you’ll have memorized and return to again and again on busy nights. And guess what? you can totally sub broccoli florets when asparagus is not on sale. ;)
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What Shape Pasta Should I Use?
The more experienced I get with food the more I realize that things like pasta shape really do matter. I wanted to use a pasta that was similar in size and shape as my asparagus pieces so that everything would mix easily in the skillet. Penne is an easy choice, but I’m a bit bored with it at the moment so I scanned the shelves for something a little more interesting. I settled on campanelle, which is a little more tubular than the campanelle that I’ve used in the past, but it worked perfectly here. And the best part? Even “fancy” pasta is still pretty cheap. 😂
Can I Use Bottled Lemon Juice?
No, for this recipe you really need a fresh lemon because you’ll be using both lemon juice and lemon zest (which is totally a magic ingredient). Lemon zest allows you to use a lot of lemon flavor without a ton of acidity. Lemons can be expensive when purchased one at a time, so consider buying a bag of lemons and freezing the remaining lemons to juice and zest for other recipes.
Lemon Garlic Asparagus Pasta
Servings 3Ingredients
- 8 oz. pasta ($0.95)
- 1 bunch asparagus (about 1 lb.) ($1.91)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.26)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 1 lemon ($0.55)
- Salt and Pepper to taste ($0.05)
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Once boiling, add the pasta and continue to boil until the pasta is tender. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water, then drain the pasta and set it aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare the asparagus. Remove the bottom 1/2 to 1-inch of the stems, or just the part that is tough and woody. Chop the remaining asparagus into 1-inch pieces.
- Place the asparagus in a large skillet and add about 1/2 inch water. Place a lid on the skillet and bring the water up to a boil. Let the asparagus steam and simmer for about 2 minutes, or just until it turns bright green and has become slightly tender (test with a fork). Drain the asparagus and return it to the skillet.
- Add the butter and minced garlic to the skillet with the asparagus and place it over medium heat. Sauté the partially cooked asparagus in the butter and garlic for about two minutes more, or until the garlic becomes soft and fragrant. Turn off the heat.
- Add the cooked and drained pasta to the skillet with the sautéed asparagus. Toss the pasta in the skillet until it is combined with the asparagus and coated with garlic butter. Top with a generous pinch of salt and freshly cracked pepper.
- Use a zester or small-holed cheese grater to zest the lemon onto the pasta. Once zested, slice the lemon in half and squeeze the fresh juice over the pasta. Toss the pasta until everything is well combined, adding a splash of the reserved pasta cooking water if it becomes dry. Taste the pasta and adjust the salt, pepper, or lemon if desired. Serve warm.
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Nutrition
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How to Make Asparagus Pasta – Step by Step Photos
Begin cooking 8oz. pasta first, because the rest of the skillet will be ready once the pasta is finished cooking. I chose this medium length tubular shape pasta because it is similar in size and shape to the asparagus. Boil the pasta until it’s tender, then reserve about 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water before draining the pasta in a colander.
While the pasta is cooking, begin the rest of the dish. Chop off the tough woody ends of the asparagus (usually just the last 1/2 inch or so)…
Then chop the rest of the asparagus into 1-inch pieces.
Place the asparagus pieces in a large skillet and add about 1/2 inch of water. It doesn’t matter if the water covers the asparagus because it will cook in both the simmering water and the steam. Place a lid on the skillet, then bring it up to a simmer. Cook the asparagus in the simmering water and steam for only about 2 minutes, or until it turns bright green and is slightly tender when pierced with a fork.
Drain the water out of the skillet, then add 2 Tbsp butter and 2 cloves of minced garlic. Place the skillet over medium heat again and sauté the asparagus and garlic in the butter for about 2 minutes more, or until the garlic is soft, fragrant, and has lost its spicy edge.
By this point the pasta has probably finished cooking. Turn the heat under the skillet off and add the drained pasta. Toss to combine and coat the pasta in garlic butter.
Add a generous pinch of salt and freshly cracked pepper to the pasta. Use a zester or a small-holed cheese grater to zest the lemon onto the pasta. Cut the lemon in half and then squeeze fresh juice over the pasta.
Toss everything to combine again. If the pasta seems dry, add a splash of the reserved pasta water. Taste the pasta and adjust the salt, pepper, or lemon if desired. Serve warm.
And if you happen to have Parmesan, it’s excellent on this pasta (as usual). That being said, I think this pasta has a lot of bright flavors on its own and doesn’t at all NEED Parmesan. Adding the salt and pepper at the very end to a pasta that isn’t very saucy allows the little granules to stick to the outside of the lemon garlic asparagus pasta and remain undissolved, which gives you little pops of flavor in every bite.
Good stuff. Made this with asparagus lying around, but added cherry tomatoes & spinach to top it off. Added +2 more cloves of garlic. Asparagus was cooked for a little longer – just use common sense to see when it’s done / instructions re ensuring it’s tender when pierced with fork.
Topped off with garlic salt & pepper. Really flavourful. Flatmates had a taste and insisted I make it for dinner next weekend!
I made this today – I had to cook the asparagus a lot longer for it to get tender. Also, I’d add another veggie and add more garlic and also add garlic later so to make sure the asparagus is thoroughly cooked.
I tried your recipe but thin spaghetti was all I had, used extra garlic, no lemon and threw in a pound crawfish tails. Will definitely make it again it was so delicious.
Tried this recipe today but doubled up on the ingredients as well as add crimini mushrooms and Parmesan cheese. As stated above, it was quick, easy and tasty. When eating I added some fresh tomatoes and olives on the side. All paired perfectly.
So simple but amazingly bright and filling!
I’m not a big asparagus fan, but I got some in my vegetable delivery box, so had to find a use and found this recipe.
I used protein penne and an extra tablespoon of butter.
This one is a keeper! And it makes me like asparagus a whole lot more! (and a little grated parm upon serving doesn’t hurt it!)
So simple, so quick and so delicous ! I just used the ingredients i had leftover in my fridge and whipped this up. Would definitely make again. I made it with penne and it was delicious. Thanks for this !
I really like your site and recipes. I cook several of them on a regular basis. I think you are a creative chef.
I want to shop where you do! My groceries cost more than yours do, pretty consistently. I was not familiar with Campanelle pasta and I want to try it, so I Googled it. The price for 12 ounces of it (across sites) was $8.99. I’m also not sure I’ve ever seen asparagus for $1.91 a pound, even in season. I’m apparently shopping in the wrong places.
I live in Salt Lake city and we have been buying asparagus in season for 99 cents a pound. Blessed. Where do you live?
Hello – I live in Rome, Italy and am currently in lockdown because of coronavirus. I don’t have much in my fridge today as the queue for the supermarket was all the way around the block. I did have a whole bunch of asparagus, though – so i looked up some asparagus recipes. This has so few ingredients, and I have all of them, and it was super delicious. It really brightened up my day, thanks so much.
Stay safe Vanessa! What a delicious dinner!
Yummy! I had leftover asparagus, and decided to try this to use some of it up. I’m NOT an asparagus fan usually but it was on sale and I’m trying to eat more vegetables.
I didn’t have lemon, so I did add the Parmesan, and it was delicious – even my kiddo liked it!
Fantastic!! Made it for lunch today and used Banza chickpea pasta for a protein boost. Makes it a little pricier, but worth it if it’s a full meal. Will definitely be adding this to the rotation!!
This. Was. Amazing.
I was super skeptical because it sounded way too simple. But I’ve been craving it nonstop since I made it :D
I will say that I did add a couple extra tablespoons of butter and tripled the garlic. Since I have a little one, I left out the spicy pepper but did add approx a teaspoon of fine ground McCormick Italian grinder.
Having the lemon zest is a must!
Wow! Easy and SO good! No “need” for meat in this at all. Looking forward to future embellishments – broccoli, basil, cherry tomatoes? Bookmarking this recipe.
Delicious and easy to prepare! I added some spinach that I needed to use up and it really soaked up the lemon well!
That’s great Amanda!
Awesome simple recipe. I had pasta, asparagus and a few basic lying around. I wanted to finish them
Up before doing my weekly grocery shop. This was a perfect lunchtime meal. Yum!
I made this last night but I used whole wheat pasta
and I added chicken breast to it that I cooked in olive
oil and seasoned very well. To sautée the asparagus
I used unsalted butter and a lot more garlic than the recipe called for. I also added shredded fresh Parmesan cheese to it. It is so flavorful and delicious