Creamy Lemon Asparagus and Pea Pasta
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 12 oz spaghetti
- 1 bunch asparagus (about 1 lb), cut tinto 1-inch pieces (about 3 cups)*
- ½ cup frozen peas
- ⅓ cup raw cashews, soaked overnight**
- 3 tbsp mellow white miso paste
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ⅔ cup pasta water
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Fresh dill, mint, parsley, or basil (optional)
- *I also tested this using 3 cups of the old reliable frozen broccoli and it worked great.
- **If you forget to soak your cashews, just add them to a pot filled with enough water to cover, bring to a simmer, then simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Note: if your asparagus is very thin, it won’t need more than a minute in the boiling water, so adjust when you add it to the pasta accordingly!
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Cut 1 bunch asparagus into 1-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
- Soak ¼ cup cashews (or do the quick soaking method)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously (about 4 quarts of water, 2 tablespoons salt). Add pasta and cook according to the package instructions. With 2 minutes left, reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water before adding the veggies. Add in your asparagus and peas and boil for about 1-2 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- In a high speed blender, add the soaked cashews, miso, lemon zest and juice, oil, salt, and ⅔ cup of the pasta water. Blend on high until totally smooth, scraping down the sides as needed (this will take about 1 minute).
- Pour the sauce into the pasta pot (scrape up every last bit!) along with the pasta/veg and a few cranks of black pepper and toss to coat for about 1 minutes to let the pasta soak up the sauce. If it seems too thick, add a tablespoon more pasta water until it’s saucy. As the pasta sits, it soaks up the liquid, so it’s nice to have some extra pasta water on hand to thin it out. You could also just use regular hot water if you run out.
- Serve topped with black pepper and herbs (if you’d like).
Notes
Substitutions:
- To make gluten-free, use gluten-free pasta alternative.
- To make nut-free, try using soaked sunflower seeds.
- You can use any green spring produce in place of the asparagus and peas. Just be sure to consider how long that veggie takes to cook when deciding when to add it to the boiling water.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Warm up leftovers in the microwave until warmed through. If the pasta looks dry, stir in a splash of water.
- Top with a squeeze of lemon, fresh herbs, black pepper, and a drizzle of good olive oil.
- Top with a fried egg or flaked salmon (goes really well with the salmon cakes this week!).