Asparagus Pasta Recipe
Updated Feb 25, 2025
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This deliciously creamy asparagus pasta recipe is a tasty mix of fresh veggies and tender bowtie pasta, coated in a luscious, creamy sauce. It’s a flavorful meal that’s sure to become a favorite at your dinner table!
Creamy Pasta With Asparagus
As soon as I spot fresh asparagus at the farmer’s market, I know it’s time for a delicious and creamy asparagus pasta. I’ve made this recipe with frozen asparagus at other times of the year, but there’s something about sweet, snappy in-season veggies that makes this almost one-pot pasta extra irresistible.
You’ll boil farfalle, or any noodles of choice, and then toss them with chopped asparagus spears and juicy green peas in a luscious, light, creamy sauce with garlic and Parmesan.
If you’re looking for more ways to make the most of asparagus season, try this creamy asparagus soup and asparagus with lemon butter next.
Why Make This Asparagus Pasta Recipe
- Tender greens. Fresh spring asparagus and pops of green peas add color to a simple Alfredo-style pasta.
- A lighter cream sauce. The garlicky sauce is light and creamy, made with a blend of chicken broth, skim milk, and cream cheese.
- Adaptable. You can easily customize this asparagus pasta recipe with other veggies or proteins, like chicken, cooked bacon, or shrimp. It’s super flexible.
- Fast and delicious. The quick, 35-minute cooking time makes this dish perfect for busy weeknight dinners. You’ll blanch the asparagus and peas in the same water you use to cook the pasta.
Ingredients Needed
I kept the ingredients for this creamy asparagus pasta simple because I wanted the seasonal veggies to be the focus. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full ingredients list, including the recipe amounts.
- Farfalle Pasta – This bow-tie pasta holds onto the creamy sauce beautifully. You can swap it for penne, rotini, fusilli, or any pasta shape you prefer. Longer shapes like fettuccine and tagliatelle are great here, too.
- Asparagus – Fresh, green asparagus spears with the woody stems removed. This recipe is also a wonderful way to use up leftover grilled or roasted asparagus. If asparagus is out of season, you can use frozen or swap it for green beans or zucchini.
- Green Peas – Frozen, fresh, or even snap peas can work as a substitute.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil – You can substitute olive oil, butter, or avocado oil.
- Onion – Yellow onion or white is good. Shallots would work as well.
- Garlic – If fresh garlic isn’t available, use ½ teaspoon of garlic powder per clove.
- All-Purpose Flour – Helps thicken the creamy sauce. Cornstarch or a gluten-free flour blend can be used as an alternative.
- Chicken Broth – Adds flavor and thins out the sauce. Vegetable broth works well for a vegetarian option.
- Milk – I used skim milk, but you could also use whole milk or heavy cream for a richer sauce.
- Cream Cheese – Adds a velvety smoothness and extra creaminess to the sauce.
- Grated Parmesan Cheese – Pecorino Romano or nutritional yeast can be used as an alternative.
- Fresh Chopped Parsley – A bright and herby garnish to balance the richness. Basil or chives work as great substitutes.
How to Trim Asparagus
Start by locating where the paler shade of the stalk turns a fresh, vibrant green. That’s your cue to cut. You can also use the snap method to break off the woody ends, but I’ve always found that means bidding goodbye to more of the edible part of the asparagus. Afterward, chop the spears into 2-inch pieces.
Tips for the Best Asparagus Pasta
- Trim the asparagus. For the best texture and vibrant color, snap or trim off the woody ends before adding the asparagus to the pasta.
- A note on peas. Fresh, canned, or frozen peas all work. No need to thaw frozen peas, just toss them right in!
- Use room-temperature cream cheese. If the cream cheese for the sauce is cold from the fridge, it’s more likely to curdle when it hits the heat.
- Save a little pasta water. Before draining the cooked pasta, scoop out a half cup of the pasta water and set this aside. The starchy water is a great thickener and emulsifier for the cream sauce. Add a splash to your pasta at the very end to bring the sauce and ingredients together.
- Different pasta. Swap farfalle for any pasta you like, including whole wheat or gluten-free varieties.
- Dairy-free. For a vegan version, use non-dairy milk and cream cheese alternatives.
Serving Suggestions
This cheesy asparagus pasta is a tasty dish on its own, but I’ll often pair it with easy sides to make a complete meal. Here are some of my favorites:
- Salads: A crisp, refreshing summer salad makes a nice contrast to the creamy pasta. Consider this tomato burrata salad with ripe, in-season tomatoes.
- Roasted vegetables: Add a side of veggies like these roasted Brussels sprouts or honey garlic butter carrots.
- Protein: If you’d like, enjoy a spatchcock grilled chicken alongside your pasta. Or, make sautéed garlic shrimp or roasted mahi mahi.
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Creamy Asparagus Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 box (14.5 oz.) 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 onion, finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup skim milk
- 2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
- fresh chopped parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the pasta and veggies. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta to the boiling water and cook for 6 minutes; add the asparagus and peas to the pot and continue to cook for 3 more minutes or until al dente. Drain.
- Sauté. In the meantime, prepare the sauce and heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until tender.
- Make the sauce. In a small mixing bowl, combine flour and chicken broth; whisk until thoroughly incorporated. Add the broth mixture to the onion mixture in the pan. Whisk in the milk; continue to whisk constantly and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for 1 more minute, or until thickened.
- Make it creamy. Whisk in the cream cheese; stir until melted. Stir in the grated Parmesan cheese and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.
- Put it all together. Add the pasta and vegetables to the sauce; stir until completely combined. Remove from heat, garnish with parsley, and serve.
Notes
- Asparagus: Cut or snap off and discard the woody ends before adding the asparagus to the pasta.
- Peas: Use fresh, canned, or frozen peas. You don’t have to thaw them if they are frozen.
- Pasta: Farfalle Pasta can be replaced with classic, whole wheat, or gluten-free pasta. Great subs for farfalle are shells, orecchiette, mini penne, or small rigatoni.
- Cream Cheese: The cream cheese needs to be at room temperature so that it blends and melts perfectly. If cold, it will curdle and not mix well with the other liquid.
- Dairy-Free: You can replace skim milk and cream cheese with non-dairy alternatives for a vegan version of this dish.
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.
How to Make Asparagus Pasta
I’m so excited for you to try this! It’s pasta night done right. Creamy, flavorful, and packed with veggies. Best of all, you can make it in mostly one pot in under 45 minutes.
- Boil the pasta. Add the bowtie pasta to boiling water. Cook until the pasta is al dente. In the last 3 minutes of cooking, add the asparagus and peas to the boiling water to blanch them. Afterward, drain. *If you’d like, save some of the cooking water and set it aside for now. You can use it in the sauce later on!
- Sauté the onions and garlic. In the meantime, prepare the sauce by heating olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until tender.
- Make the sauce. Whisk the flour and chicken broth to make a slurry. Pour the broth mixture into the onion mixture in the pan. Then, whisk in the milk, and continue to whisk constantly, bringing it all to a boil.
- Add the cheeses. Now, reduce the heat and cook for 1 more minute or until thickened. Stir in the cream cheese and grated Parmesan cheese, and remove from heat. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
- Combine and serve. Add the cooked pasta and vegetables to the sauce, toss, and serve. If you find the consistency a bit thick, add a splash of milk, broth, or pasta water. Enjoy!
Storage
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days.
- Reheat in the microwave or on the stove over low heat. If needed, add a splash of milk to restore the creamy consistency.
So fast and easy! Delicious and a great way to use the asparagus I bought on sale. Thanks for the recipe!
This was good and very easy to make. I agree with the posters who said to double the sauce – there is a lot of pasta here. I made it with veggie broth and vegan parmesan to make it vegetarian. I did have some difficulty getting the cream cheese to melt into the sauce, so it was a little lumpy, even though the cream cheese was at room temperature. The red onion made the sauce look different than is in the photos. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Made this with a 1 lb box of medium shell pasta. Used twice the amount of sauce ingredients but kept onions and garlic the same. Great recipe! Family devoured it for dinner. Thanks for sharing!
I am very glad you and your family enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
I am an absolute beginner at making pastas- I tend to shy away, as somehow I mess up the recipe. However, this is absolutely delicious! I do prefer more sauce in my pasta- I used an almost full 12 ounce box of pasta shells, and felt like I needed a lot more sauce… So I made a second batch of sauce (easy enough) to drench my pasta in- it’s absolutely heavenly! I also added portobello mushrooms when sautéing the onions and garlic to add some of that “cream of mushroom” flavor.
Thank you for this! I will have to save this to make again!
I cook my veggies the same way when cooking pasta. It makes it so easy! Loving how many veggies you packed into this pasta.
So creamy and delish!
What a fun way to enjoy pasta…I love the fresh asparagus.
The ultimate spring dinner!
I’m loving the new line of Barilla pasta, and totally loving this dish! The asparagus & peas are enough to thrill me, but a lightened up, creamy sauce? Score!
My husband goes crazy for Alfredo sauce, so he would adore this!