The flavours of lemon, dill, and asparagus are always perfect together, and bring a spring freshness to this Lemon Pappardelle Asparagus Pasta

Lemon & Asparagus Pappardelle Pasta

What’s Pappardelle?

Pappardelle pasta is a thin, wide, ribbon-like pasta that’s especially satisfying to dig into. The silky, slippery long noodles are perfect for sauces and plus, fun to eat.  In fact, the name, Pappardelle comes from the verb “pappare”, which means to “gobble up” (Wikipedia). And gobble up we did. These noodles were the perfect pasta to use in this Lemon Pappardelle Asparagus Pasta. I tossed the asparagus and noodles in a lemony cream sauce and fresh dill.

Cooking The Perfect Asparagus

I’m excited that local asparagus is finally showing up in markets here, one of the first crops of spring. The flavour of fresh locally grown asparagus is way better than the imported ones. Really, there’s no comparison. The only thing better is the foraged asparagus that we can find here. Coming across a patch of wild asparagus while on a hike is always a treat.  These cultivated spears were fresh and perfect with hardly any woodiness to the stems. They only needed about 2 minutes in the pot at the end of the pasta cooking time for that perfect tender crispness that we want. Properly cooked asparagus is perfection. Over cooked asparagus, as with any fresh veggie, is well, far from it.

Veggie Cooking Tip:

Whenever I cook a pasta dish with veggies, I put the vegetables in the pot with the boiling pasta in the last couple of cooking minutes. Why get out another pot when you don’t need to, right? I’m all for saving steps and pot washing in the kitchen. My husband, aka clean up guy, appreciates the heck out of me for that.

Using Low Fat Greek Yogurt For A Healthier, But Still Creamy Dish

I like to use fat-free Greek or Balkan style yogurt in recipes. The yogurt is a perfect sub for cream or sour cream. You don’t notice a difference in taste or creaminess, but you leave out all that fat. And who needs extra fat?

If you love pasta, you may also love Salmon Fettuccine Alfredo, or Chicken Stroganoff, or for a heartier option, check out Kale & Sausage Pasta.

How to Make Lemon Pappardelle Asparagus Pasta

5 from 2 votes

Print

Lemon Pappardelle Pasta & Asparagus

Prep Time

2 mins

Cook Time

9 mins

Total Time

11 mins

 

This Lemon Asparagus Pasta is made with pappardelle, and uses Greek yogurt for a light but creamy sauce.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 249 kcal

Author: Colleen

Ingredients

• 1 pound asparagus trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces.
• 8 oz pappardelle pasta
• 1/2 cup non fat Greek yogurt
• juice and zest of one large lemon
• 1/4 cup fresh dill chopped

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 5 minutes
2. Add asparagus to the boiling pasta and cook for a further 2 minutes
3. Scoop out a cup of pasta water and reserve

4. Drain pasta and asparagus in a colander, and keep aside.

5. In the pot, whisk together yogurt, lemon juice and zest, and dill
6. Add pasta and asparagus back into the pot and toss with the sauce, adding reserved pasta water to desired consistency.
7. Serve hot

Recipe Notes

To trim asparagus, bend the stalks until they snap and discard the woody ends.

Nutrition Facts

Lemon Pappardelle Pasta & Asparagus

Amount Per Serving (1.5 g)

Calories 249 Calories from Fat 9

% Daily Value*

Fat 1g2%

Cholesterol 1mg0%

Sodium 16mg1%

Potassium 412mg12%

Carbohydrates 47g16%

Fiber 4g16%

Sugar 4g4%

Protein 12g24%

Vitamin A 1085IU22%

Vitamin C 8.8mg11%

Calcium 73mg7%

Iron 3.4mg19%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.