spring dish

This greenasparagus pasta recipe has a lusciously creamy, cheesy sauce witha hint of lemon for a bright and fresh taste. Make it in less than 25 minutesfor a weekday dinner or a fancy date-night!

Creamy Asparagus Pasta

(226 g) spaghetti ((or any other pasta))

(226 g) green asparagus ((use

salted butter

organic lemon ((zest of 1 lemon plus 2 teaspoons juice))

black pepper

parmesan cheese

Salt

To finish: black pepper, grated lemon zest, and parmesan

Wash asparagus spears. Trim woody ends and peel the lower quarter of the thicker asparagus spears with a vegetable peeler to remove the fibrous skin. Chop diagonal into about 1/3-inch (1 cm) thick slices. Leave the tips whole, about 2-3 inches long (5-7 cm).

Cook the pasta in salted water according to the packaging instructions.

In the meantime, melt butter in a large pan over medium heat and sauté the chopped asparagus including tips, about 5 minutes. Add a bit of lemon zest and stir.

Drain pasta and set some of the cooking water aside. Let pasta sit in the colander while making the sauce.

Add creme fraiche, some lemon zest (keep some for topping the finished dish), and black pepper to the empty pasta pot. Heat until creme fraiche becomes liquid, while stirring.

Add 1 tablespoon pasta cooking water at a time, while stirring to get a nice luscious and creamy sauce. If you add to much water at once, the sauce could break. Now add grated parmesan and more pasta water if needed. The sauce should resemble heavy cream. Add salt to taste (often not necessary because parmesan and cooking water are salty).

Squeeze some lemon juice over the asparagus in the pan (about 2 teaspoons), then stir. Add the drained pasta and most of the asparagus pieces (not the tips) to the pot with the sauce and stir to combine.

Serve the pasta with the remaining asparagus, some lemon zest, parmesan, and black pepper. Enjoy!

A spring dish that is loaded with delicious greens. The asparagus is roasted for optimum flavor and the leeks and spinach is quickly sautéd. A little cheese for some additional flavor makes this pasta dish a fantastic welcome to spring.&nbsp;

Bright And Fresh Pasta Primavera

dry penne pasta

asparagus

extra-virgin olive oil (divided)

kosher salt

Black pepper

leeks

garlic

baby spinach

Tbsp. olive oil

lemon juice

mint leaves (chopped)

Preheat oven to 425 F.

For the pasta cook penne in boiling water per package direction; drain.

Toss asparagus with 2 tsp. oil and 1 tsp. salt, then season with pepper and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil sprayed with vegetable spray. Roast asparagus until fork-tender, about 10 minutes.

Sweat leeks and garlic in 2 tsp. oil in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat until leeks begin to soften. Stir in spinach and cook to slightly wilt. Stir in penne. Set aside.

For the vinaigrette, whisk together 6 Tbsp. oil, lemon juice, mint, and 1 tsp. salt. Add ricotta Salata and stir just to combine, then season with pepper. Toss Vinaigrette with pasta mixture to coat. The vinaigrette can be prepared ahead of time so that you can immediately add it to the pasta mixture.

I just love Pasta &amp; Asparagus, but never had them together-so this will be a change for me. I'm into bernaise sauce over mine -&amp; usually have it on Holidays w/Ham or A Filet Mignon.

It is school holidays here so I have been spending a lot of time out of the house at the park/zoo/aquarium etc.
The other day I took the kids to an adventure playground....6 hours I sat watching them! Seriously I was exhausted. BUT I was super happy with our lunch. 

Your pasta salad was lush!!! 

The kids and I enjoyed a big pot of it. 
I packed up some steamed shrimp as well and your delicious stuffed bread. It was a playground banquet! 
It held up so well to being backed in the lunch box and was so much more appealing than the slightly stale sandwiches or greasy sausage rolls that the snack van was serving. 

Thank you for this delicious recipe! I think I was the envy of the playground :D :D

Oh Marisa! You made this looks crazy good. What a delicious looking light and healthy pasta you have here! It's 10:30 pm and now I'm hungry thanks to your mouth watering pics! Great recipe!

I love everything about this fresh pasta salad, love the flavors especially the mint leaves. perfect for spring.

This pasta looks so fresh and delicious...perfect for spring!

Indeed a lovely dish all the green ingredients are perfect for pasta. I cook pasta very often I need yo try your pasta verde at home soon. I am sure my family will love it.

A light citrusy salad composed of shaved fennel, sweet orange segments, slivered purple onion over a bed of torn romaine leaves. Orange-Lemon vinaigrette with tarragon dresses the springtime salad.

Fennel Orange Salad {Insalata di Finochio e Arancia}

orange juice

olive oil

tarragon

Salt and pepper

romaine leaves

fennel bulb

orange segments

onion

almonds

Fennel fronds -- garnish**

Whisk together the orange juice, lemon juice, olive oil, a nd tarragon; season with salt and freshly ground pepper

Place one cup of romaine leaves on each plate and divide the orange, fennel, onion, between the four plates. Sprinkle with the almonds and splash each serving with the vinaigrette and serve immediately. You can make up the salad ahead of time and then dress the salad just before serving.

Fennel and orange two of my favorite flavors, so i had to try this recipe. I did and the flavors were bang on. Loved it. Thanks

What a delightful combination of flavors to make this salad!  So bright, refreshing, and perfect for these hot summer days.  I love to pair this salad with a simple grilled chicken and call it a meal!

The pairing of fennel and orange in this salad is mouth watering. Perfect for the hot summer months. I could eat it all day!

Fennel is one of my favorite salad additions that I just do not use enough. Thanks for the reminder and for such a beautiful fresh recipe that's just perfect for summer!  buon appetito!

This salad looks so refreshing and easy too!  I will definitely make this one, love fennel!!!

Fennel is one of my favorite (and I think most underrated) veggies and it goes so perfectly with orange. What a beautiful salad!

I love the flavor of Citrus fruits. This salad is definitely unique and sounds healthier too. Tangy and I am already craving for some .

I grew up eating this salad and made it again with this recipe...delicious! So refreshing and palate cleansing after a meal. Thank you!

I've been looking for more ways to use fennel, this is a great idea! Looks so fresh and healthy.

Ahhh I can't wait for the warmer weather to be here to stay. Ready for days of light fare like this salad.

I adore this salad, the flavors, the colors --- and even the name (in Italian) is so gorgeous!

A well made frittata is one of the most perfect foods you’ll ever eat. Once you know how to make one – you’ll never go hungry. The formula is the same, change it with the veggies, meats, and cheese you love. The variations are endless. This recipe shows you exactly how to do it.

HOW TO MAKE A FRITTATA PERFECTLY – ASPARAGUS PROSCIUTTO VARIATION

olive oil (extra virgin)

garlic (minced)

prosciutto (diced ** see notes)

eggs

Pecorino Romano

tsp chili paste

heavy cream

tbsp parsley (chopped)

sea salt

pepper

Clean and cut the asparagus into 1/2-inch pieces. For a cohesive frittata, make sure that no pieces are much larger than this. The frittata can also be served warm or at room temperature. When paired with a salad, it is excellent as a light meal.

Adjust oven rack to a middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk eggs, cream, Pecorino Roman, and chili paste in bowl until combined. Don’t overbeat.

Heat oil with minced garlic in 10-inch ovensafe nonstick skillet or heavy cast iron pan over medium-heat. As soon as the oil heats up add the asparagus a sprinkling of salt and freshly ground pepper then stir. *** see notes

Add 2 tablespoons of water to the pan and cover with a lid. Let the asparagus cook about 3 minutes. Check to see how tender they are. If they are still tough and there is no water left, add another tablespoon of water. Cover. If the asparagus gets some nice caramelization to them — that’s good. You don’t want the garlic to burn.

Remove the lid and add the meat (optional) if you don’t have meat just pour the egg mixture over the vegetables and cook, using a rubber spatula to stir and scrape bottom of skillet until large curds form and spatula leaves trail though eggs but eggs are still very wet, about 30 seconds.

Smooth curds into even layer and cook, without stilling, for about 30 seconds. Transfer the skillet to oven and bake until frittata is slightly puffy and surface bounces back when light pressed, 6 to 9 minutes.

Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Using rubber spatula, loosen from skillet and transfer to cutting board. Slice and serve.

Frittata is one of my "go to" dinner options when I have no plan...but mine have become boring. THanks for so many suggestions.  Can't wait to incorporate them along with your tips and ratios.  Going to breathe some new life into our frittata dinners.

It's funny, as much as I cook with eggs (and BOY do I cook with a lot of eggs), I rarely make omelettes or frittatas.  It's weird too, because I love them - and yet I rarely think to make them.  In any case, this is exactly the kind of recipe/article I need, because to me frittatas (and the like) are all about adapting to the available ingredients and personal tastes, and this makes that wonderfully easy.  I do have to say though, the wild asparagus sounds pretty darned amazing alongside eggs, pancetta, and cheese.  I think I could have that for many a breakfast (or lunch... or dinner) before getting tired of it.  But corn, herbs, and pecorino romano is calling to me too.... So many ideas! So many eggs! :D

I can make a mean quiche but cannot make a frittata to save my life! Going to reread this post to absorb all your (and your mama's) knowledge. There is something romantic about the frugality of using leftovers to make a new delicious dish. Hope someday I can get it right!

Thank you for such a well laid out and informative post! You've taken care of all my questions and now I know I'll be able to make great frittata every time. All those great flavors combinations you have listed are going to come in handy when I need a quick and tasty dinner.

Thanks so much for linking up with us at the #WednesdayAIMLinkParty 33! Shared ♥

What a delicious Frittata!  I love all of those glorious vegetables.  They remind me of SPRING!  This would make a great breakfast for Mother's Day or Easter and perfect as a vegetarian dish or adding a bit of meat for those carnivores!

This is such an informative post! I love frittatas, but mine sometimes come out dry. After reading this post, I'm confident that I'll never make a dry one again. I also love all the ideas for flavor combinations; I have some shiitake mushrooms in the fridge that are begging to go into one.

What a great dish for breakfast, brunch or dinner. The leftovers would be great to. A nice way to feed a crowd, just make a few pans at a time. I love eggs, and this is a great way to use them. Simple yet so delicious.

Frittatas are the best and so perfect for brunches especially.  They are my mom's absolute favorite and now I'm feeling inspired to make it for her.  Yours looks wonderful :)

This recipe looks so yummy! Totally something my mom and I would love for breakfast ... we're suckers for savory meals in the morning! ;) Thanks for the great tips, too! Can't wait to give this a try!

Top 4 spring dish recipes from across the web

The most viewed spring dish recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Creamy Asparagus Pasta

Bright And Fresh Pasta Primavera

Fennel Orange Salad {Insalata di Fi...

HOW TO MAKE A FRITTATA PERFECTLY – ...

Top 4 spring dish recipes from across the web

The most viewed spring dish recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Creamy Asparagus Pasta

Bright And Fresh Pasta Primavera

Fennel Orange Salad {Insalata di Fi...

HOW TO MAKE A FRITTATA PERFECTLY – ...

The most viewed spring dish recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine