15-Minute Lemon Asparagus Pasta

Whip together this lemon asparagus pasta in just 15 minutes! Minimal effort and simple ingredients are used to create this delicious weeknight meal.

If you’re looking for a quick & flavorful pasta dish with minimal ingredients, let me introduce this lemony pasta with roasted asparagus! This recipe requires a handful of fresh herbs and simple produce. The preparation is quick and the cook time should be just around 15 minutes.

I’m always in the mood for pasta, and sometimes I don’t have the energy to make a complicated dish after cooking all day. This pasta is fit for those “lazy” cooking days. It’s super easy to prepare, requires 8 simple ingredients, and tastes so delicious!

Ingredients – What You Need

You’ll only need 8 ingredients to make this recipe happen. See below for the full list (minus salt & pepper)!

Pasta noodles: you can use any shape! I used farfalle.
Lemon: fresh squeezed lemon juice & zest are used for flavor.
Asparagus: rinsed and edges trimmed.
Basil & oregano: these two fresh herbs will bring so much more flavor than dried herbs.
Parmesan: use fresh Parmesan Reggiano instead of pre-shredded.
Red pepper flakes: for a little heat – but don’t worry it’s not too spicy!
Oil: for serving and roasting the asparagus!

How to Make it – Step by Step Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F. Arrange asparagus on a sheet pan and toss with a little olive oil, salt, and garlic powder. Bake for 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Then bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil, add pasta noodles and cook as box instructs. Before straining the cooked noodles, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water and set aside.

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After straining the pasta, add noodles back to the pot. Add pasta water, 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, chopped herbs, and parmesan cheese.

Stir ingredients and place the pot on LOW heat if needed to heat ingredients up.

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Season with salt & black pepper to taste. Remove asparagus from oven and serve with pasta. Top with additional parmesan cheese and fresh herbs!

Tips for Success

• Types of pasta to use – you can use just about any noodle for this recipe. But my favorite is farfalle/bowtie, mini shells, orecchiette, rotini, or fussili.
• Make it gluten-free – instead of using regular pasta noodles, you can swap for chickpea, brown rice, or your favorite gluten-free pasta.
• Additional ways to cook asparagus – if you don’t want to oven-roast the asparagus, you can also steam it or saute it with a little oil or butter.

FAQs

Do you cook asparagus before adding it to pasta? Yes! Asparagus can be either thick or very thin. Either way you will need to either steam it, add it to the boiling pasta water for several minutes, or roast it to tenderize the vegetable before serving with pasta.

How long do leftovers last? this leftover pasta should keep for about 3-4 days. Reheat with additional drizzle of olive oil and splash of water if needed.

More Quick Pasta Dishes to Try

Cheesy Rotini Pasta with Roasted Vegetables
6 Ingredient Roasted Eggplant Pasta
Roasted Cauliflower Pasta with Red Pepper Sauce
15-Minute Chickpea Pasta