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Asparagus goat cheese pasta with peas is perfect for spring! Tossed in a creamy garlic herb goat cheese sauce and finished off with fresh lemon zest and juice. A quick and easy dinner that’s will be on the table in 30 minutes!
Finally, the first week of spring! Although, you’d never know it with all the snow we’ve had this week in Colorado. But, that’s typical for us in March. Warm and sunny one day, clouds and five inches of snow the next.
I still wanted to embrace using one of my favorite spring vegetables, asparagus, but keep dinner cozy since it isn’t exactly warm. The result was this simple asparagus goat cheese pasta with peas and fresh lemon to pull it all together.
When I say this is a simple pasta, we’re talking you only need five ingredients to make it. It takes 30 minutes or less to prepare, cook, and be on the table ready to eat. That’s my kind of weeknight dinner!
Ingredients Needed to Make Asparagus Goat Cheese Pasta
- asparagus
- herb goat cheese
- frozen or fresh peas
- lemon
- pasta
How to Make Asparagus Goat Cheese Pasta
Start by roasting the asparagus. Line a sheet pan with foil for easy clean up. Lay the prepared asparagus on the sheet pan and drizzle with olive, salt and pepper. Toss it together until coated and then spread it out into a single layer. The asparagus will take about 10-12 minutes to roast depending on the size.
While the asparagus is roasting, cook the pasta. Before you drain the pasta, reserve about a 1/2 cup of the pasta water to use in the sauce. After the asparagus has roasted, chop it into approximately 1 inch pieces.
Add the goat cheese, asparagus, peas, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the pasta. Stir until the goat cheese melts and add some of the pasta water to loosen up the sauce. I ended up using about 1/3 cup of pasta water to get the consistency I liked for the sauce, but it’s up to you how thick or thin you want it.
How to Pick and Store Asparagus
- Look for firm stalks. You don’t want them to be limp as this is a sign that they are old.
- They tips should be bright green and possibly have tinges of violet.
- The tips should be tightly closed and avoid stalks that look dry and woody.
- Store your asparagus in the refrigerator, not on the counter.
- If you don’t plan to use the asparagus for 3 or more days, cut about an inch off of the stalk and place them upright in a jar or cup with about an inch or so of water. Place a plastic bag over the top of the asparagus and refrigerate. Change the water as needed when it becomes cloudy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between thick and thin asparagus?
Thin stemmed asparagus usually have a slightly sweeter flavor. Thicker stemmed asparagus are meatier and have more of that “asparagus” flavor. You can use either kind in this recipe depending on your taste preference.
What can I use instead of goat cheese?
If you don’t like goat cheese, substitute with cream cheese. You’ll need to add garlic and either fresh or dried herbs to it since you won’t be using herbed goat cheese. I recommend 1-2 cloves fresh garlic or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder. For herbs, fresh thyme, basil or parsley would work well.
More Asparagus Recipes
Grilled Chicken and Asparagus Pesto Pasta
Lemon Parmesan Grilled Asparagus
Chicken Pot Pie with Asparagus and Mushrooms
Lemon Roasted Shrimp and Asparagus with Herbed Couscous
Asparagus Goat Cheese Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound asparagus woody ends trimmed
- 4 ounces goat cheese
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 12 ounces uncooked pasta
- Lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425° F. and line a sheet pan with foil. Lay the asparagus on the sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss together and spread into a single layer. Roast the asparagus for 9-12 minutes or until tender. Cut the asparagus into approximately 1 inch pieces.
- While the asparagus is roasting cook the pasta. Before draining reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and then add it back into the pot with the frozen peas, goat cheese, lemon zest and roasted asparagus. Season with salt and pepper.
- Stir everything together until the goat cheese melts. Stir in some of the reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce until desired consistency is achieved. Taste for seasoning and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
