This Pesto Cream Pasta is the perfect Spring dinner and is loaded with roasted asparagus and sweet peas. It's creamy and cheesy with so many fresh Spring flavors, and ready in just 30 minutes! A must make weeknight dinner that the whole family will love.
If you're looking for a lighter Spring pasta, this is it! Roasted veggies with a lightened up pesto cream sauce will have your taste buds going wild, in the best way.
For more Spring Pastas to add to the weekly meal plan, try this Lemon Spinach Pasta, Pesto Ricotta Pasta, Spring Roll Salad, and Creamy Vegetable Pasta.
Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- Lightened Up for Spring. It's still creamy and cheesy, but a much more lightened up version with smaller amounts of butter and cream. The pesto adds so much fresh flavor too!
- Easy to Make. Simple step by step instructions to follow.
- Quick. Ready in 30 minutes.
- Minimal Ingredients Needed. Only 10 ingredients, plus salt and pepper!
- Seasonal Ingredients. This is one of my favorite pastas to make in Spring and Summer when asparagus is fresh and inexpensive.
For more popular pasta recipes, try this Marry Me Chicken Tortellini, Broccoli Cheese Pasta, and Beef Macaroni.
Ingredients:
Pesto: Feel free to use fresh homemade pesto sauce or grab store bought for a quicker meal. I used store bought for this recipe and it tasted amazing. Fresh will bring in a more vibrant green color and of course, fresher taste.
Pasta: I used a Casarecce pasta for this recipe for its shape and size.
Parmesan Cheese: I highly recommend Parmigiano Reggiano for its superior quality and taste. If you need to use a less expensive brand, that's totally fine, but make sure to shred it yourself for the best melt. Bagged, pre-shredded cheese has preservatives in it that won't melt well.
*Full recipe ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card below.
Substitutions and Variations:
- The Casarecce pasta can be substituted with any medium sized pasta, like fusilli, medium shells, penne, etc.
- If you want to add more veggies, like carrots, onion or broccoli, simply slice them up on the smaller side and roast with the asparagus.
If you love this Creamy Pesto Pasta, you'll love this Chicken Pesto Sandwich, Pesto Vegetables, Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad, and Pesto Gnocchi.
How to Make Asparagus and Pea Pasta with Creamy Pesto:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the peas in a bowl and set aside at room temperature to unfreeze. (1) Cut the bottom few inches off the ends of the asparagus and discard. (2) Slice the remaining asparagus into 3 equal parts. (3) Lay the asparagus onto a cookie sheet and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper, making sure to coat each piece with oil. (4) Bake for 10-14 minutes until tender. Note: It may take longer if they're on the thicker side.
Step 2: As the asparagus roasts, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add in the pasta and cook until al dente, according to the instructions on box. Remove pasta to strainer, but Do NOT drain pasta water (see step 3).
Step 3: As the pasta cooks, remove about 1 cup of pasta water and place in a bowl to use for thinning the creamy pesto sauce.
Step 4: In a deep skillet, melt the butter and pour in heavy cream over low heat. Allow the mixture to heat up, but not boil, stirring every few minutes until hot (about 6-8 minutes).
Step 5: Sprinkle in the parmesan cheese and stir until melted for a few minutes. Add in peas, pesto sauce, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Stir to combine and cook on low for 3-4 minutes. Add in a few tablespoons of the pasta water anytime it starts to thicken too much.
Step 6: Add the pasta and asparagus to the sauce and toss to combine. Squeeze fresh lemon right over the top of the dish.
Step 7: Top with parsley, serve immediately and enjoy!
Expert Tips:
- If you can find skinner asparagus, those will cook much faster.
- Make sure the asparagus is fully tossed in olive oil so it doesn't burn.
- Shred the cheese from a block for the best melt.
- Anytime the sauce starts to thicken, just add a few tablespoons of warm pasta water. It's basically magic!
If you love asparagus recipes, check out this Asparagus Puff Pastry too!
Storage & Reheating:
Store in a sealed container for up to 2-3 days in the fridge. This recipe tastes best fresh, but if you save some of the pasta water in a separate container, you can heat it back up on the stovetop over medium low heat and add a splash of pasta water to bring it back to a creamy texture.
Looking for more Spring recipes? Try this Dill Pickle Chicken Salad, Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad, and Sweet Chili Salmon.
More Must Try Pasta Dinners:
If you tried this Pesto Cream Pasta Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
PrintRecipe
Asparagus and Pea Pesto Cream Pasta
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4-5 cups of pasta 1x
Description
This Pesto Cream Pasta is the perfect Spring dinner and is loaded with roasted asparagus and sweet peas. It's creamy and cheesy with so many fresh Spring flavors, and ready in just 30 minutes! A must make weeknight dinner that the whole family will love.
Ingredients
- 1 cup frozen sweet peas
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb bunch or bundle of asparagus
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 8-10 ounces of Casarecce pasta (½ bag)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 heaping tablespoon pesto sauce
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, shredded fine from the block
- About ¼ to ⅓ cup reserved pasta water
- juice from ½ a lemon
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the peas in a bowl and set aside at room temperature to unfreeze. (1) Cut the bottom few inches off the ends of the asparagus and discard. (2) Slice the remaining asparagus into 3 equal parts. (3) Lay the asparagus onto a cookie sheet and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper, making sure to coat each piece with oil. (4) Bake for 10-14 minutes until tender. Note: It may take longer if they're on the thicker side.
- As the asparagus roasts, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add in the pasta and cook until al dente, according to the instructions on box. Remove pasta to strainer, but Do NOT drain pasta water (see step 3).
- As the pasta cooks, remove about 1 cup of pasta water and place in a bowl to use for thinning the creamy pesto sauce.
- In a deep skillet, melt the butter and pour in heavy cream over low heat. Allow the mixture to heat up, but not boil, stirring every few minutes until hot (about 6-8 minutes).
- Sprinkle in the parmesan cheese and stir until melted for a few minutes. Add in peas, pesto sauce, ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper. Stir to combine and cook on low for 3-4 minutes. Add in a few tablespoons of the pasta water anytime it starts to thicken too much.
- Add the pasta and asparagus to the sauce and toss to combine. Squeeze fresh lemon right over the top of the dish.
- Top with parsley, serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- If you can find skinner asparagus, those will cook much faster.
- Make sure the asparagus is fully tossed in olive oil so it doesn't burn.
- Shred the cheese from a block for the best melt.
- Anytime the sauce starts to thicken, just add a few tablespoons of warm pasta water. It's basically magic!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: pasta
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Payton says
Absolutely delish and the best spring pasta! So many great flavors here!
Tara Smithson says
Thanks so much for the review Payton! It's one of my favorite Spring pastas too!