First thing’s first! If you’ve been here before, you know that the site got a makeover! I couldn’t be more excited about it. Thanks to the lovely Jenn, I now have a new logo, newly designed site, and an awesome recipe index to make it easier for you to find the recipes you’re looking for! It was much needed and overdue after 3+ years with the old site. I’m so so happy.
Now for this pasta. It starts with beautiful asparagus sautéed in a little garlic and olive oil. Can’t go wrong with fresh spring produce, in my opinion.
The best part of this dish might just have to be the sauce. It requires no cooking at all, and it’s made in the food processor! It’s just peas, mascarpone (which is an Italian cream cheese if you’ve never had it), garlic, lemon zest, basil, and parm! Could not be simpler or more flavorful.
The sauce is then tossed with the hot pasta, thus “cooking” it, and making for a very simple, full-of-veggie-goodness-pasta. My favorite kind of meal.
I made this for my family this weekend and it was scarfed down in no time.
The other thing I love about this is that it requires next to no ingredients, and it’s super customizable. I bet it would be fantastic with some sautéed shrimp, grilled chicken, salmon, or whatever your favorite protein is!
And this pasta is perfect for when you’re coming out of a holiday weekend where you may have eaten one or five too many baked goods, and had a few too many cocktails. You don’t want to resort to salad for 7 days straight, because you still need carbs, cause they are LIFE. But, it’s super packed with veggies, so it’s totally perfect. And it feels indulgent because of the “creamy” sauce. Thanks to our lovely friend marscapone, and puréed PEAS.
You get me, right?
Spring Vegetable Fettuccine with Asparagus and Lemony Mascarpone Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 ounces fettuccine
- 1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1'' pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced, and divided
- 4 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
- 10 fresh basil leaves, plus extra for serving
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, divided, plus extra for serving
- zest of ½ a lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 cup reserved pasta cooking water (I just scoop it out with a coffee mug while the pasta is cooking)
Instructions
Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat and add olive oil. Add half of the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the asparagus and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta and cook according to package directions.
While the pasta is cooking, combine the remaining clove of garlic, mascarpone, peas, basil, half of the parmesan, salt, and pepper, and reserved pasta water in a food processor and blend until creamy.
Toss hot pasta with the sauce and add the asparagus. Toss again until combined and top with remaining parmesan. Serve with extra parm and fresh basil!
Looks great. Congrats Molly. My colleague was impressed-and she has her own food blog. Check her out at coco’s Mediterranean cuisine
Thanks so much!! I will definitely check her out!
Molly making the deeelcious spring veg pasta FYI there is a typo in first instruction It says add garlic and sauce and I think it should be add garlic and sauté !
Thank you SO much for letting me know! I just fixed it!!