As the weather warms up and spring arrives, it’s the perfect time to start incorporating fresh, vibrant ingredients into your meals. One of the stars of the season is asparagus, a versatile and nutrient-packed vegetable that adds a delicious crunch to any dish.
This healthy gluten-free spring asparagus pasta recipe is crazy easy to make, packed with flavor, and perfect for enjoying on a sunny day. If you have 20 minutes and some fresh ingredients you can make this!
This easy pasta dish is full of vibrant, fresh flavors. It features pecorino romano, a salty sheep milk cheese that works so well in pasta! (If you can’t get your hands on pecorino romano, use parmesan!)
I also include a hefty amount of asparagus for that delicious crunch of veg, parsley for fresh flavor, and a good ‘ol squeeze of lemon juice at the end, along with some zest for a beautiful citrus hit that compliments all the flavors. Optionally I add a good handful of chopped kale. It cooks down and just adds extra freshness to the dish!
This recipe is perfect for a busy weeknight when you need to throw something together but still want it to be wholesome, healthy, and of course delish!
*Don’t skip this tip: To make this a well-rounded meal, I recommend adding protein on top. Rotisserie chicken makes this easy for a busy night. Or quickly cook up a chicken breast and slice it on top. This would be perfect with some shrimp thrown in. (It cooks quickly and would compliment these flavors wonderfully!!)
What gluten-free pasta do you recommend?
It’s important to use gluten-free pasta that has a high starch content to allow the pasta water to create a beautiful sauce. I always use and love brown rice pasta if I need pasta water. I’ve heard that chickpea and cassava flour pasta can work well also when using pasta water.
This is the gluten-free pasta I use and love!
In 20 minutes you will have a beautiful, fresh and vibrant pasta dish. Pour a glass of wine or mocktail, grab your simple ingredients and let’s get dinner on!!
Let me know if you make this in the comments below!
Spring Asparagus Pasta | Gluten-free
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
- 25 fresh chopped asparagus into bite sized pieces hard ends chopped off and discarded
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 3/4 cup shredded pecorino romano or parmesan
- 2 small cloves of garlic or 1 large clove
- 1/3 cup pasta water
- 1/2 cup chopped kale
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice or about one giant squeeze!
- roughly 1/4 of a lemon, zested or to your taste preference!
- 2 cups dry gluten-free pasta
Instructions
- Start by boiling your water to cook your pasta. Follow the boxed instructions. Add a good pinch of salt to the water.
- While the pasta water is boiling, melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add chopped asparagus to the pan and give it a good pinch of salt. Allow it to sautee for about 4 minutes, until it is slightly tender, moving it around occasionally.
- Turn the heat to low, add the chopped garlic and parsley to the pan and mix around until the garlic is fragrant.
- Once the pasta is done, be sure to reserve 1/3 cup of the pasta water before straining the pasta!
- Take 1/3 cup of the pasta water and add the pecorino romano to it, whisking vigorously for about a minute until its combined into a paste and there are not a lot of clumps.
- Add the pasta, pasta water and pecorino romano mix and sea salt to the pan, combining everything together until the pasta is fully coated.
- Add the chopped kale, lemon juice and lemon zest to the pasta. Stir to combine.
- Top with freshly ground black pepper, pecorino romano and fresh parsley if you like! ENJOY! *see blog post above for added protein ideas
