Light Lemon and Aspargus Pasta

When I saw that asparagus was in season again, I almost leapt for joy! I love using asparagus in lots of different dishes. The crunch and earthy taste add an extra bite to any dish. And, they are very easy to prepare- I will make sure that I share other side dishes that I use asparagus in.

I wanted to make a light, springtime pasta since it is the first day of spring today! This one really hit the mark- the sweet bites of tomatoes with the crunch of asparagus and the light lemony taste is the perfect pasta dish.

This is enough for two people plus leftovers. If you want to make less of this pasta, put in as much shrimp, tomatoes and asparagus as you like and use less lemon vinagrette or you can save the vinagrette in an airtight container for a few days.

Lemon Asparagus Pasta

1 pd bag of raw, peeled deveined shrimp
2 lemons, juiced
2 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil or to taste
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 shallots, diced
1/2 cup of white wine or enought to fill bottom of pan
1 package of asparagus (about 18 spears)
1 package of grape tomatoes
Barilla plus linguini (or your favorite brand)

To make the lemon vinagerette, simply add the juiced lemons to a small bowl and add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Make sure to taste after each tablespoon to ensure that its tangyness suits your tastebuds. Then set aside.

I roasted the grape tomatoes in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes with a little olive oil. I set these aside and then I filled a deep pan with cold water and placed the aspargus in the pan. I put the pan to a boil and then to a simmer for about 8 minutes or until the asparagus is fork tender. I removed the asparagus and then set that aside as well. Look how bright green the asparagus is! So pretty.

I put a large pan over medium heat with about 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil to saute the shallots for several minutes. Then I added the garlic and cooked for 30 seconds. I added the wine (enough to cover the bottom) and set the heat to high to reduce the wine to about half. I then reduced the heat and placed the shrimp in the pan and cooked for about 5 minutes (until pink).

In the midst of the wine reducing and the shrimp cooking, I cooked about 1/2 – 3/4 of a package of Barilla plus linguini and cooked to al dente.

Once shrimp is done and pasta is drained, I added the veggies and pasta to mix with the shrimp and poured the lemon vinagrette over and through the dish. I also sprinkled some shredded parmesan cheese on top.

Other posts you may enjoy:

1. Quick Pasta Primavera
2. Asparagus and White Bean Pasta
3. Baked Pasta with Pesto & Ricotta
4. Pasta and Peas
5. Grape Tomato Pasta