Spring is finally here!! We’ve had a few days of sunshine, and when I went to the store the other day, I found these beauties…
This is not my picture… I grabbed it from here. But I promise my asparagus looked just like this! :o)
I was so excited to see beautiful, thin, tender asparagus… I just couldn’t wait to get home and start cooking!
What I came up with is a creamy, bright pasta dish… perfect for showcasing fresh spring veggies.
You could easily substitute fresh broccoli for the asparagus… and I would probably add chicken to this, if I wasn’t making it for just myself. :o)
Creamy Lemon Pasta with Mushrooms & Asparagus Recipe
Ingredients:
1 lb short pasta (penne or rotini work well!)
3-4 tablespoons butter
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
1 lb asparagus, cut into 1″ pieces
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese
2 tablespoons heavy cream
salt & pepper, to taste
juice of one large lemon
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Directions:
Cook the pasta, according to package directions, until al dente. Scoop out about a cup-full of the pasta water and then drain the pasta.
While the pasta is cooking… in a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter and then sauté the mushrooms until golden. Toss in the asparagus and sauté until just tender. Stir in the garlic and cooking for about a minute.
Turn off the heat and stir in the rest of the ingredients. Continue to stir until smooth, adding in the cooked pasta and a bit of pasta water, 1/4 cup or so at a time, until everything is nicely coated.
Top with more fresh parmesan, if you’d like, and serve with garlic bread!
