This asparagus and pea pasta is made with a zesty lemon sauce and is perfect for spring. It makes an excellent side dish to serve with roast chicken, steak, and fresh fish. Plus this flavorful pasta can be ready to serve in only 10 minutes!
Best Pasta to Use
In this recipe, I use Barilla’s protein plus bowtie pasta. I think this pasta tastes exactly like regular pasta and it is much better for you. Each serving has 4g of fiber and an incredible 10g of protein.
Of course, you can also use any type of pasta you prefer for this recipe. You’ll just cook your pasta based on the box’s instructions so it’s just slightly al denté. I typically boil Barilla’s protein plus pasta for 8 minutes.
Skip the Cream
I never use heavy cream for any of my sauces as it adds an incredible amount of calories to the dish. This zesty lemon sauce uses 4 simple ingredients and is creamy by using flour as a thickener. This is the same way I make lemon sauce for other dishes as well such as my Chicken Piccata.
Serving Suggestions
I love to serve this dish with my Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken or my Roasted Lemon Rosemary Chicken. You can even add cubed leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken to make it a full me. This is also a wonderful side dish to serve along with fresh fish like salmon and branzino.
What’s great about this recipe is you can cook your protein in the oven while making this side dish at the same time. This way you can have dinner served in under 30 minutes!
Instructions
First start by boiling a pot of water with a generous amount of salt. While your water is coming to a boil, prep your vegetables by mincing your garlic and cutting the asparagus spear so it is just the tender portion being used.
Once your water comes to a boil add your pasta and cook according to your box’s instructions. While your pasta is cooking, begin making your sauce.
Set a large pan on medium heat and spray with cooking spray. I like to use this avocado cooking spray and do not use butter or olive oil to cut out calories as it’s completely unnecessary.
Once your pan is hot, add your garlic and cook until it just starts to brown. Then add your chicken broth, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir to mix in any brown bits stuck to the pan. Then slowly whisk in your flour so the flour is well mixed into the sauce and there are no chunks of flour. The slower the better.
Next, add your asparagus and continue cooking on a low simmer for 2-3 minutes until the sauce has slightly thickened and your asparagus is cooked. Do not over cook your asparagus, it should still be a nice bright green. When your sauce is finished, add the frozen peas at the very and and give everything a light toss.
Add the cooked pasta to a large bowl, pour over the sauce with asparagus and peas, and toss together. I love using these bear claws to toss my pasta and salads together. They are also great for serving and guests love them.
Garnishes
Don’t skip the garnishes as they make this dish especially beautiful. I like to garnish this pasta with a few slices of preserved lemon, but you can also use fresh lemon. Preserved lemons are amazing because you can actually eat the slices of lemon since preserving them gets rid of the bitterness.
I also add fresh lemon zest from a full lemon, sliced parmesan (I use a vegetable peeler), and fresh chopped Italian parsley.
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Storage
Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To reheat, just microwave on high for 1 minute or return to a pot and stir on low heat for 1-2 minutes until warmed.
Asparagus and Pea Pasta with Lemon Sauce
Ingredients
- 5 oz Bowtie Pasta Barilla Protein +
- 1 bushel Asparagus Cut for Tips
- 1 cup peas frozen
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp lemon juice fresh
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 tbsp parmesan cheese fresh sliced for garnish
- ½ tbsp Italian parlsey chopped for garnish
- 1 whole lemon zest for garnish
Instructions
- First start by boiling a pot of water with a generous amount of salt. While your water is coming to a boil, prep your vegetables by mincing your garlic and cutting the asparagus spear so it is just the tender portion being used.
- Once your water comes to a boil add your pasta and cook according to your box's instructions. While your pasta is cooking, begin making your sauce.
- Set a large pan on medium heat and spray with cooking spray.
- Once your pan is hot, add your garlic and cook until it just starts to brown. Then add your chicken broth, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir to mix in any brown bits stuck to the pan. Then slowly whisk in your flour so the flour is well mixed into the sauce and there are no chunks of flour.
- Next, add your asparagus and continue cooking on a low simmer for 2-3 minutes until the sauce has slightly thickened and your asparagus is cooked. When your sauce is finished, add the frozen peas at the very end and give everything a light toss.
- Add the cooked pasta to a large bowl, pour over the sauce with asparagus and peas, and toss together.
- garnish with fresh lemon zest, slices of fresh parmesan, and chopped Italian parsley
Notes
- I like to use this avocado cooking spray and do not use butter or olive oil to cut out calories as it’s completely unnecessary.
- The slower you whisk in your flour the better so there are no chunks of flour in your sauce.
- Do not overcook your asparagus, it should still be a nice bright green.
- I love using these bear claws to toss my pasta and salads together. They are also great for serving and guests love them.
Nutrition
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Sondra Barker
