Creamy Lemon Spring Vegetable Pasta
Updated April 10, 2020
Creamy Lemon Spring Vegetable Pasta-this light and creamy lemon pasta with asparagus, artichokes, peas, and basil makes a great spring meal.
This post is sponsored by Almond Breeze.
Caleb is playing baseball this year and he is SO excited. He has been practicing every day with Josh so he is ready for the season. He got his uniform yesterday and he looks so handsome. I am going to be that mom in the stands who is cheering and gushing over his every move. I might be more excited than Caleb:)
After Caleb’s practice the other day, we had Creamy Lemon Spring Vegetable Pasta for dinner and I’ve never seen Caleb eat so fast. I guess baseball practice made him extra hungry. I cleaned my plate pretty quickly too, not because I worked hard playing baseball, but because it was so delicious. This is my new favorite spring pasta recipe. It’s sooooo good!
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Pasta nights are always popular at our house and I especially love this recipe because it is loaded with spring vegetables. The pasta has asparagus, artichokes, spinach, and peas. There is lots of green goodness going on in this dish!
I used whole wheat farfalle pasta, also known as butterfly pasta to my boys. It’s amazing what a fun shape of pasta will do for kids. They love it when butterfly pasta is on the menu and it really is the perfect spring pasta.
Now, let’s talk about the amazing creamy lemon sauce. It makes this pasta dish extra special. For the cream sauce, I used Almond Breeze Almondmilk Original Unsweetened instead of heavy cream. You won’t miss the heavy cream, I promise. The almondmilk creates an amazing cream sauce. The burst of lemon is so nice too! It pairs perfectly with the spring vegetables.
Before serving, I topped the pasta with fresh basil and parmesan cheese. We were in pasta heaven!
A few notes about this Creamy Lemon Spring Vegetable Pasta:
- I used whole wheat farfalle pasta, but feel free to use your favorite pasta. Gluten-free pasta works well in this recipe.
- If you need the recipe to be vegan, you can use vegan butter and vegan Parmesan cheese. I have also garnished this pasta with nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan cheese and it is good too.
- To get more lemon juice out of a lemon, roll it on the counter and press down before juicing. Or you can put the lemon in the microwave for 15 seconds and then juice it.
- I like to use this lemon squeezer to juice lemons and a microplane to zest lemons.
This Creamy Lemon Spring Vegetable Pasta is the perfect meal for spring. You can have it on your dinner table in 30 minutes. Enjoy!
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If you like this Creamy Lemon Spring Vegetable Pasta, you might also like:
- 5-Ingredient Spinach Parmesan Pasta
- Lemon Arugula Pasta with Burrata
- Spring Pasta Salad
- Spring Quinoa Bowl
- Lemon Broccoli Tortellini
Creamy Lemon Spring Vegetable Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small shallot minced
- 12 asparagus spears cut into 1-inch pieces, woody ends discarded
- 1 14 oz can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
- 3 cups fresh spinach leaves
- 3 gloves garlic minced
- 3/4 cup frozen peas
- 8 ounces whole wheat farfalle pasta or pasta of your choice gluten-free is fine
- 2 tablespoons butter or vegan butter
- 2 tablespoons flour can use gluten-free flour
- 2 cups Almond Breeze Almondmilk Original Unsweetened
- Zest of 1 large lemon
- Juice of 1 large lemon
- 4 lemon slices
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- Parmesan cheese vegan parmesan cheese, or nutritional yeast, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the olive over over medium-high heat. Add the shallot, asparagus pieces, artichoke hearts, spinach, garlic, and frozen peas. Cook until vegetables are tender and spinach is wilted, about 5 minutes. Pour the vegetables into a large bowl and set aside while you cook the pasta and sauce.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Cook pasta according to package instructions.
- While the pasta is cooking, make the creamy lemon sauce. Place the large skillet you used to cook the vegetables back on the stove and melt the butter. Whisk in the flour, whisking until you don't have any clumps. Slowly whisk in the almond milk, about ½ cup at a time, whisking vigorously. Add the lemon zest and keep whisking until the sauce comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and whisk occasionally until the sauce thickens. Add in the lemon juice and sliced lemons. Season the sauce with salt and black pepper, to taste.
- Drain the pasta and add it to the thickened lemon sauce. Stir in the cooked vegetables and stir until the pasta and vegetables are well coated with the creamy lemon sauce. Remove the lemon slices with tongs or a spoon.
- Garnish with fresh basil and parmesan cheese, vegan parmesan cheese, or nutritional yeast, if using. Serve warm.
Have you tried this recipe?
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I added skinless boneless chicken pieces, delicious