Creamy pasta dishes are great any time of year, even in the summer. This Creamy Parpadelle with Asparagus is full of creamy richness and on your dinner table in just 15 minutes! A great dinner at the end of a busy day.

This is the first creamy pasta dish I have made in a while.  Like a long while!  And I love creamy pasta dishes like my One Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta. I’m known to make them at least once every couple of weeks.  I guess with summer, it just seemed low on the priority list of what to cook on hot days.  And I don’t know why really because pasta is one of those foods that can be enjoyed throughout the year, even in August.

Ingredients

• 8 oz parpadelle pasta
• 1 Cup cooking cream (half and half or light cream)
• 1 Cup reserved pasta water*
• 1 Cup parmesan finely grated
• small bunch asparagus ends trimmed and cut into thirds
• Zest of one lemon
• Juice of one lemon
• 3 Garlic cloves crushed
• 1 Teaspoon dried basil
• Small bunch fresh parsley finely chopped
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1/2 Teaspoon salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon pepper

REMEMBER, The full recipe and instructions is always found at the end of the post in the recipe card.

Instructions

1. Cook pasta – Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 minutes. Drain and rinse. (Reserve pasta water)
2. Cook asparagus – In a large pot set over medium heat, add the olive oil and garlic. Stir for about 30 seconds. Add the asparagus and give a good stir. Add a few tablespoons of pasta water to the asparagus and continue to cook for about 5 minutes.
3. Make sauce – To the asparagus, add the cream, 1 cup/240 ml of pasta water, lemon zest, lemon juice, basil, salt and pepper. Stir well and leave to simmer for about a minute.
4. Assemble dish – Add the parpadelle, parmesan, parsley and butter to the pot. Stir well until combined.
5. Serve – Can top with extra parmesan and parsley if desired.

About the pasta

• Add pasta water – When cooking the asparagus, you will note I say to add a little pasta water.  This is simply to keep it from sticking or burning.  Depending on the type of pan you are using, you may not find this necessary.  So just keep an eye on it as it cooks.
• Use more liquid if needed – When making the cream sauce, I have stated to use one cup of the reserved pasta water.  I found this quite enough for the dish.  If you feel you need more, just add a little at a time until you reach the desired level of creamy deliciousness!
• Can use different herbs – I used fresh parsley in this recipe but fresh basil would be equally delicious.  

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US CustomaryMetric

Creamy Parpadelle with Asparagus

Creamy pasta dishes are great any time of year, even in the summer. This Creamy Parpadelle with Asparagus is full of creamy richness and on your dinner table in just 15 minutes! A great dinner at the end of a busy day.

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Total Time15 mins

Course: Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: asparagus, Pasta

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 434kcal

Author: Julia Pinney

Ingredients

• 8 oz parpadelle pasta
• 1 Cup cooking cream (same as half and half cream)
• 1 cup reserved pasta water
• 1 Cup parmesan finely grated
• small bunch asparagus ends trimmed and cut into thirds
• Zest of one lemon
• Juice of one lemon
• 3 Garlic cloves crushed
• 1 Teaspoon dried basil
• Small bunch fresh parsley finely chopped
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1/2 Teaspoon salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon pepper

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 minutes. Drain and rinse. (Reserve pasta water)
• In a large pot set over medium heat, add the olive oil and garlic. Stir for about 30 seconds. Add the asparagus and give a good stir. Add a few tablespoons of pasta water to the asparagus and continue to cook for about 5 minutes.
• To the cooked asparagus, add the cream, 1 cup/240 ml of pasta water, lemon zest, lemon juice, basil, salt and pepper. Stir well and leave to simmer for about a minute.
• Add the parpadelle, parmesan, parsley and butter to the pot. Stir well until combined.
• Serve immediately. Can top with extra parmesan and parsley if desired.

Notes

1. Add pasta water – When cooking the asparagus, you will note I say to add a little pasta water.  This is simply to keep it from sticking or burning.  Depending on the type of pan you are using, you may not find this necessary.  So just keep an eye on it as it cooks.
2. Use more liquid if needed – When making the cream sauce, I have stated to use one cup of the reserved pasta water.  I found this quite enough for the dish.  If you feel you need more, just add a little at a time until you reach the desired level of creamy deliciousness!
3. Can use different herbs – I used fresh parsley in this recipe but fresh basil would be equally delicious.  
4. Cooking cream – This would be half and half or light cream. 

Nutrition Facts

Creamy Parpadelle with Asparagus

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 434 Calories from Fat 369

% Daily Value*

Fat 41g63%

Saturated Fat 22g138%

Cholesterol 114mg38%

Sodium 1062mg46%

Potassium 264mg8%

Carbohydrates 7g2%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 3g3%

Protein 11g22%

Vitamin A 1490IU30%

Vitamin C 5mg6%

Calcium 352mg35%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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