This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Barilla. The opinions are always 100% my own.
Creamy Asparagus Pasta Recipe – A creamy, yet healthy veggie loaded protein-packed pasta with asparagus and peas, all tossed in a lightened-up cream sauce!
An Easy & Creamy Asparagus Pasta Recipe
CREAMY Asparagus Pasta that’s good for you?! YEAH! This real food recipe only requires simple ingredients: multigrain pasta, asparagus, peas, garlic, sauce… you know, the good stuff!
Today’s post, friends, is sponsored by Barilla® ProteinPLUS™, and I’m super excited about using their ProteinPLUS pasta in this recipe because, hello? It’s pasta and it’s healthy! ProteinPLUS is a delicious multigrain pasta made with wholesome ingredients like flaxseed, barley, oats, chickpeas, lentils, and egg whites, too.
As I just mentioned it, the ingredient combination in this pasta here is so good and simple, to the point of you can’t NOT have it. Chickpeas, flaxseeds, lentils… it’s just a great source of lean protein – 12% of our daily value – and a bundle of goodness that is all made with non-GMO ingredients.
If you’re anything like me, and I know that you are, worrying about feeding our family with the best that we can find, having products like this to make the process easier is what I truly do appreciate. Barilla, thank you for listening to us!
I’m telling you, this is some great stuff here and I can’t wait for you to try it. Best part is that we can have pasta and feel good about it. Goodbye guilt, hello healthy pasta dinner!! A healthy bowl of pasta is what health-conscious people’s dreams are made of. Am I right, or am I RIGHT? Exactly.
Besides, I am really just getting impatient for you to experience this protein-packed creamy asparagus pasta recipe perfection, so please experience it a-sap.
We are going to take our ProteinPLUS Farfalle Pasta and give it a nice warm bath before throwing in our veggies that will *almost* complete our meal.
How to Make the Cream Sauce
However, we all know that a pasta meal is never complete without its best companion: the sauce. So, let’s talk about it!
This here is a sauce prepared with milk and a bit of cream cheese, as well as garlic and onions. It’s very easy to make and it takes all of 5 minutes to prepare. It’s a nice way to change up from the usual red-sauce or even alfredo sauce. And I’m like, 300% certain that something involving milk and cheese in a hot sauce is pretty much amazing, from the very start.
This creamy asparagus pasta can be filed under the category of dinner bliss. Not too heavy, not too light, just total pasta perfection packed with protein, a bit of dairy, green veggies, and a whole lot of delicious goodness.
Also, keep in mind that this recipe makes a large amount of pasta. 8 servings to be exact. Call up your friends, family, and/or neighbors and invite them to this weekend’s dinner!
For more information on Barilla® ProteinPLUS®, please visit their website! Or, you can follow them on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram.
ENJOY!
TOOLS AND INGREDIENTS USED IN THIS RECIPE
Creamy Asparagus Pasta
Ingredients
- water for boiling pasta
- 1 box (14.5 oz.) Barilla® ProteinPLUS® Farfalle Pasta
- 1 pound asparagus , cut into two-inch pieces, ends trimmed and discarded
- 1 cup green peas (frozen or fresh)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small red onion , finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose whole wheat white flour
- 1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup skim milk
- 2 ounces room temperature cream cheese
- 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- salt and fresh ground pepper , to taste
- Fresh chopped parsley , for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Add pasta to boiling water and cook for 7 minutes; add prepared vegetables to the pot and continue to cook for 3 more minutes, or until al dente.
- Drain.
- In the meantime prepare the sauce.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add onions and garlic and cook for 3 minutes, or until tender.
- In a small mixing bowl combine flour and chicken broth; whisk until thoroughly incorporated.
- Add broth mixture to the onion mixture in the pan.
- Whisk in milk; continue to whisk constantly and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and cook for 1 more minute, or until thickened.
- Stir in the cream cheese; stir until melted.
- Stir in the grated parmesan cheese and remove from heat.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Add pasta and vegetables to the sauce; stir until completely combined.
- Serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
