Easy Creamy Pasta Alfredo with Asparagus Recipe
This Pasta Alfredo with Asparagus recipe transforms a classic fettuccine Alfredo into an elegant, café-quality pasta dish that’s super easy to make. With just a handful of ingredients, it features tender pasta coated in a homemade, creamy Alfredo sauce and is topped with tender asparagus spears for a touch of freshness.
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The addition of lemon brightens the sauce and highlights the asparagus. The result is a dish that’s creamy yet light, indulgent without feeling heavy. With clear instructions for blanching the asparagus and crafting the sauce, there is no need to go out to an Italian restaurant. This recipe will help you create a café-worthy pasta dish right at home.
If you are looking for other asparagus dishes, check out my creamy Baltic style asparagus and dill soup, broccoli and asparagus soup and asparagus and sweet potato soup. (Yes, I love asparagus, especially when it’s in season 😀) Oh yes, forgot to add my favorite asparagus ricotta quiche with phyllo dough recipe. I love, love, love this quiche, especially when it’s served with whipped lemon ricotta dip.
Why you’ll love this Pasta Alfredo with Asparagus:
- Quick and Easy: With just a few steps, you’ll have a café-quality dish ready in under 30 minutes, making it ideal for busy weeknights.
- Hint of Lemon: The splash of lemon adds a fresh, zesty note that perfectly balances the creamy sauce and enhances the asparagus.
- Use any kind of pasta: fettuccine is classic, but any kind of pasta shape will work. Spirals are great at capturing all that yummy sauce!
- Beautiful Presentation: The pretty green asparagus and creamy Alfredo-coated pasta create a pasta dish that’s as pretty as it is delicious.
- Comfort food at its best: This recipe combines pasta, vegetables, and a rich sauce for a satisfying, well-rounded dish.
- Versatile: A classic recipe perfect for family dinners, a cozy date night, or serving friends for a relaxed cafe-style meal.
Ingredients for Pasta Alfredo with Asparagus
- Pasta (fettuccine, spirals, linguine etc) (note 1)
- Fresh green asparagus spears
- Butter
- Shallot or 4 garlic cloves if you don’t have a shallot.
- Heavy cream
- Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano (or Parmesan cheese) (note 2)
- Lemon zest
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Parsley to garnish
Notes
- You can use any favorite pasta of your choice, fresh pasta or dried.
- Parmigiano Reggiano is produced in Italy under strict quality controls and has a nutty, savory depth and creamy consistency that melts beautifully into the sauce. Using freshly grated cheese ensures a smooth, velvety sauce with an authentic, café-style flavor. Pre-grated cheese often contains anti-caking agents, resulting in a less creamy sauce and a slightly gritty texture.
- If Parmigiano Reggiano isn’t available, you can substitute freshly grated Parmesan cheese, which is slightly milder.
Instructions
1. Prepare the Asparagus and chop the shallots:
Trim the tough woody ends from the asparagus spears. You can either peel the tough ends with a potato peeler, or bend them until they break. If you break them, just use the non-woody end.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the asparagus for 2 minutes, then transfer to abowl of cold water to stop the cooking and to retain their bright color. They don’t have to be stone cold, just stop the cooking. Drain.
Cut the asparagus spears into 1 or 2-inch pieces, leaving the tips intact and set aside.
2. Cook the Pasta:
In the same pot of boiling water, cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Be careful not to overcook, as the pasta will continue to cook a tiny bit once you add the creamy sauce at the end. A good idea is to cook the pasta for one minutes less than the package instructions, because the pasta will continue to cook after you put it in the sauce.
3. Make the homemade pasta Alfredo Sauce:
In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add the minced shallot and sauté until soft and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes max.
Stir in 1/2 cup of pasta water, the lemon zest and juice and get all the little bits of shallot off the bottom and sides. Cook for 1 minute.
Stir in the heavy cream and over medium high heat bring the sauce to a soft boil. Turn heat to low and cook over low heat for 2 more minutes.
Turn off heat.
Gradually stir in the grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Parmesan cheese until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Season with salt and black pepper.
4. Combine the Pasta and Alfredo Sauce:
Add the cooked pasta to the skillet with the Alfredo sauce. Toss to coat evenly, adding some reserved pasta water if needed to adjust the consistency. I usually end up add ing about another 1/4 cup pasta water, but this will depend on how well you drained your pasta. The sauce does thicken as it cools, so I find it’s best to make is slightly too thin.
5. Add the Asparagus:
Gently fold in the blanched asparagus pieces, ensuring they are warmed through but not overcooked. Your Pasta Alfredo with Asparagus is done!
6. Serve:
Divide the pasta Alfredo with Asparagus among plates, topping with additional grated Parmesan and freshly cracked black pepper, if desired.
Pasta Alfredo with Asparagus FAQ
Storage
- Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Reheat slowly over low heat and do not boil. Add some extra water mixed with cream and/or some extra freshly grated cheese if the sauce is dry.
- Freezing does not work well.
Easy Creamy Pasta Alfredo with Asparagus Recipe
Equipment
- Large pot to boil water
- Medium to large skillet
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
- cheese grater to grate cheese and lemon peel (if using)
Ingredients
- 250 g dried pasta note 1
- 12 green fresh asparagus spears
- 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 medium shallot finely minced (or 4 garlic cloves if you don’t have a shallot)
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Parmesan cheese (note 2)
- 1 tsp lemon juice and 1 tsp lemon zest
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp parsley Optional, for garnish
Instructions
Prepare the Asparagus:
- Trim the tough woody ends from the asparagus spears. You can either peel the tough ends with a potato peeler, or bend them until they break. Then just use the non-woody end.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Blanch the asparagus for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, fish out the asparagus from the boiling water. (You will use the same boiling water to cook your pasta.)
- Transfer the asparagus to an ice bath or run under cold water to retain their bright color.
- Cut the asparagus spears into 1 to 2-inch pieces, leaving the tips intact.
Cook the Fettuccine:
- In the same pot of boiling water, cook the fettuccine according to package directions until al dente. Be careful not to overcook, as the pasta will continue to cook a tiny bit once you add the creamy sauce at the end. A good idea is to cook the pasta for one minutes less than the package instructions, because the pasta will continue to cook after you put in the sauce.
- Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
Make the homemade Asparagus Alfredo Sauce:
- In a large skillet, melt butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced shallot and sauté until soft and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in 1/2 cup water, the lemon zest and lemon juice. Cook for one minute.
- Stir in the heavy cream, and over medium high heat bring the sauce to a soft boil. Turn heat to low and cook over low heat for 2 more minutes.
- Gradually whisk in the grated Parmigiano Reggiano until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Season with salt and black pepper.
Combine the Pasta and Alfredo Sauce
- Add the cooked fettuccine to the skillet with the Alfredo sauce (Or if your skillet is not large enough, add the Alfredo sauce to your drained pot of pasta).
- Toss to coat evenly, adding a splash of reserved pasta water if needed to adjust the consistency. The pasta should be glossy
Add the Asparagus
- Gently fold in the blanched asparagus pieces, ensuring they are warmed through but not overcooked. Don't turn on the heat again, because you don't want to keep on cooking the asparagus. Let the sauce and pasta heat up the asparagus. Your asparagus Alfredo fettuccine is done!
Serve
- Divide the pasta among plates, topping with additional grated Parmesan and freshly cracked black pepper, if desired.
- Sprinkle with parsley to make it pretty 😉
Notes
- Frozen peas at the very end. They take very little time to thaw, and you don’t want them to overcook, so just add them in when right when you add in the Alfredo sauce.
- Leftover chicken, steak or ham – just slice it up, heat up in a skillet or microwave and add it in after you stir in the sauce.
- Other veggies – leftover or precooked broccoli or mushrooms work well.
