This revivifying asparagus pasta dish from L.A.-based pastaiolo and restaurateur Evan Funke tastes like Italian springtime. It’s bright from both lemon juice and zest, rich from an emulsion of Parmesan cheese, and fresh from the addition of big leaves of fresh basil.
Chef-owner of Felix Trattoria, among other establishments, Funke believes pasta sauces should celebrate the craftsmanship of noodles (we chose spaghetti, but fettuccine, penne, or whatever pasta you’ve got on hand will be fine) rather than try to steal the spotlight. The citrusy lemon-asparagus pasta sauce does just that. The recipe requires very little prep time, so you can easily make this on a weeknight.
Remove the woody ends from a bunch of fresh asparagus spears. We like thick asparagus here, sliced thinly on a deep diagonal so the pieces bend and twirl around your fork in concert with the pasta; if you can only find thin asparagus, slice the veggies into 1½"–2" pieces instead. You only want to sauté the asparagus for a moment so it retains its verdant hue—it will cook to crisp-tender when you start to work in the pasta water for the sauce.
If fresh asparagus isn’t in season, skip the year-round asparagus and try a creamy one-pot pasta with frozen peas, mint, and black pepper; lemon zucchini pasta; or a straightforward pasta al limone.
Recipe information
Total Time
20 minutes
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
1
⅔
1
4
4
½
8
2
Preparation
Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add 1 lb. spaghetti and cook pasta, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1½ cups pasta cooking water.
Step 2
Meanwhile, heat ⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high until shimmering. Add 1 large bunch asparagus, trimmed, thinly sliced on a deep diagonal, season with kosher salt, and cook, stirring often, until just beginning to take on color, about 1 minute. Add 4 garlic cloves, smashed, 4 (3"-long) strips lemon zest, and ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and let sit until pasta is done.
Step 3
Add cooked pasta and 8 large fresh basil leaves to pot with asparagus mixture and return to medium-high heat. Squeeze juice from 2 lemons, halved, into pot and add 2 oz. freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup), and 1 cup reserved pasta cooking liquid. Cook, tossing vigorously and adding more pasta cooking liquid if needed, until sauce is creamy and emulsified and pasta is coated, about 1 minute. Taste and season with more salt if needed. Remove and discard garlic.
Step 4
Divide pasta among bowls, garnish each with a lemon strip, and top with more Parmesan cheese.
Editor’s note: This asparagus pasta recipe was first printed in our April 2020 issue as “Spaghetti al Limone With Asparagus.” Head this way for more of our very best pasta dinners →
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Reviews (126)
Back to TopI nice spring pasta dish. I sauteed some chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then removed them when they were cooked through and added the asparagus to the same pan to make it a one-meal dish. Definitely would make again.
Becky M
British Columbia, Canada
4/18/2024
This was okay. Made following the recipe, but if I make it again, will zest a lemon instead of cutting strips of zest, will put a couple cloves of garlic through a press instead of using whole smashed cloves, and might reduce the red pepper flakes a bit (that’s just us, we happen to have an extra spicy batch, so I should have known to reduce). Not a bad recipe, but I have been spoiled the past week trying two heavenly vegetarian pasta recipes from the NYTimes (funnily enough, also from 2020), and so the bar has been raised.
Jane
Hamden, CT
4/11/2024
Not a review - planning to cook this tonight - but a question. How much lemon zest with the asparagus? From one lemon? Two? Or do we use the zest strips and then pull them out to be added back as garnish?
KKelley
Montclair, NJ
2/24/2024
OMG this is so good, I was channeling Stanley Tucci and made this for breakfast. it was so easy and delicious. I had to put it away I couldn't stop eating it. Not sue what the hype is on lemon. No two lemons yeild the same amount nor have the same lemon bang, so play it by ear. If you ant light lemon, gradually put it in. If you like a lot - use a lot. Making this again soon Hope the leftovers are just as good.
Jane A
Bostonian transplant in VA
10/21/2023
Lovely dish. Next tone I'm alone, I'll add Steamed salmon.
Anna
Albuquerque
5/22/2023
Love this dish so much- it is part of our regular rotation in the spring when asparagus is in season (although the recipe is very flexible and could take many kinds of vegetables, I think).. It's simple, easy to prep and cook, and delicious to eat. I change up the procedure a bit, though. I cook the asparagus about 2 minutes til crisp tender just before the pasta is done, so it doesn't sit on the stove and get gray. I do all my mixing in the pot in which I cooked the pasta- way easier than trying to get all the pasta into a skillet and trying to toss it there. A really good recipe for a really good meal.
smacs77
Daly City, CA
2/24/2023
I made it tonight without any changes and the fresh pure taste of this simple, healthy dish is just great.
Angelika
Monterey VA
10/28/2022