Spring Pasta with Peas and Asparagus
This green pasta dish is bursting with spring flavors, including peas, asparagus and fresh herbs. Lemon, pine nuts and parmesan send it over the top!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on April 15, 2025
This beautiful pasta recipe is designed for springtime produce: asparagus, peas, shallots and fresh herbs. It offers gorgeous green hues, and irresistible flavor courtesy of lemon, butter and Parmesan. This dish is a longtime favorite from one of the most comprehensive cookbooks in my collection, Aida Mollenkamp’s Keys to the Kitchen.
Be warned that this recipe requires some serious chopping work, but the end result is worth the effort (for a simpler recipe, try this pesto pasta with peas). The recipe yields a lot of food, enough for six to eight servings, so it may be best created with helpers and shared with a small crowd. Otherwise, it reheats well for leftovers.
Pasta Tips
You’ll find the full recipe below. Here are a few notes for best results:
Salt your pasta cooking water.
Your pasta water should taste salty! The pasta won’t absorb all of that salt, but the salt that it does absorb yields much more flavorful end results. You simply can’t add enough salt at the end of cooking to make up for it.
You’ll reserve some of the starchy pasta cooking water to help the sauce cling to the pasta. I like to use a glass liquid measuring cup to scoop some out before draining the water, so I don’t forget.
Keep an eye on your pine nuts.
Toasting the pine nut brings out their best savory flavors. They burn quickly, so stir constantly and don’t step away from the stove while they’re cooking.
Frozen peas are fine.
Fresh peas can be hard to find, and frozen peas taste just as good. Defrost them in a sieve under cool running water before using.
Use thin asparagus.
The cooking time provided below is for pencil-thin asparagus, which is available earlier in asparagus season. If you must, you could slice thicker asparagus into thinner segments.
Choose your own herbs.
You can use flat-leaf Italian parsley, mint, chives, chervil or tarragon. You could use all parsley or mint, or a combination of herbs. If using chives, chervil or tarragon, use a smaller amount of those herbs and fill in the rest with parsley or mint.
More Springtime Pasta Recipes
Check out these vibrant pasta recipes featuring fresh green spring produce:
- Arugula Pesto
- Broccoli Pesto Pasta with Green Olives
- Gaby’s Pasta with Peas and Pesto
- Green Goddess Tortellini Salad
- Lemony Green Pasta with Peas & Ricotta
- Spinach Lasagna
Please let me know how your pasta turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Spring Pea and Asparagus Pasta
This very green pasta dish is bursting with spring flavors, including peas, asparagus and fresh herbs. Once you have prepped your vegetables, the dish comes together rather quickly. This recipe yields a lot (enough for 6 to 8 servings) so feel free to halve it if you are serving two.
Ingredients
- 1 pound (16 ounces) pasta (conchiglie, orecchiette, shells, fusilli or linguine—whole grain if desired)
- ¾ cup pine nuts
- ¼ cup olive oil, plus more for garnish
- 5 shallots, quartered lengthwise and sliced very thin crosswise
- 1 pound pencil-thin asparagus, woody ends snapped off, and cut in ½-inch slices on the bias
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups shelled fresh or frozen English peas (defrost peas if frozen)
- ⅔ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (or regular Parmesan), plus more for garnish
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (from one lemon)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (less than one lemon)
- 1 cup roughly chopped mixed herbs (I used flat-leaf Italian parsley, chives and mint, other suggestions include chervil and tarragon)
- Fine salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- First, prep your vegetables. Then, bring a large pot of heavily salted water (it should taste salty) to a boil over high heat. Cook the pasta for two minutes less than the package directions. Reserve 2 cups of the pasta water, then drain the pasta.
- While the pasta cooks, warm the pine nuts in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently (do not step away from the stove, as they burn quickly). Cook until they turn lightly golden on the edges, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer them to a bowl to cool, then return the skillet to the stove.
- Warm the olive oil in the skillet over medium-high until shimmering, then add the shallots, season with a pinch of salt and several twists of pepper, and cook until golden brown (about 5 minutes).
- Add the asparagus and garlic, season with another pinch of salt, and cook until the asparagus is knife-tender and bright green (about 3 minutes). Stir in the peas and cook until the peas are bright green (about 2 minutes).
- Add the drained pasta to the pan and 1 cup of the reserved pasta water. Stir and cook until the sauce starts to coat the pasta (about 2 minutes). Remove the pan from heat and transfer the contents to a large serving bowl. Add the cheese and butter and stir to coat. (Add more splashes of pasta water if needed. The sauce should cling to the pasta.)
- Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, herbs and pine nuts. Taste and adjust seasonings as required (add a pinch of salt, red pepper flakes and/or a squeeze of lemon juice if desired). Grate some cheese over the top and garnish with freshly ground black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately. Leftovers will keep well for up to 4 days covered in the refrigerated.
Notes
Minimally adapted from Keys to the Kitchen: The Essential Reference for Becoming a More Accomplished, Adventurous Cook by Aida Mollenkamp.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Just had this for dinner and we loved it! Thanks so much and be well. Namaste
Thank you, Minda!
Hi Kate,
I have just recently discovered your blog, and I love it. Not only do the recipes look great, I am grateful for the tips you have written for those of us who are just starting out in the food blogging world – very helpful. This recipe looks amazing and I think I’ll try it out soon, even though it’s now autumn so not so seasonal! Oh, and Cookie looks so cute, I personally think mongrels are the best :-)
Thanks, Katie! Please let me know what you think of the pasta. Cookie says hi.
Didn’t have any of your suggested pasta shapes so used Cavatelli. Result was excellent, truly amazing combination of flavours. Thank you.
Jennifer, so glad you enjoyed the pasta. Thank you for commenting!
Kate love your recipes but wonder why you don’t put the nutritional values at the end of your recipes would really appreciate them thanks for the great recipes
Hi Sharon, I’m sorry, I don’t provide nutrition information because it really varies based on the ingredients used. I don’t want to provide inaccurate information to my readers. I’d suggest running this recipe through myfitnesspal.com to calculate the facts.
I made your spring pea and asparagus pasta last night for dinner. The herbs (Italian parsley, chives and mint) that I used for the dish were refreshing. It is also one of those pasta dishes that wont surprisingly weigh you down due to a heavy sauce. Great for a week night dinner!
Thank you, Stacey! Glad you enjoyed it!
YUM! Did all the prep work while my kids napped this afternoon and dinner came together in a breeze! Thank you so much!!!!
Happy to hear it! Thanks, Lisa!
I made this last week. We loved it!
Awesome! Thank you, Johanna!
Made this for dinner last night – it was INSANE! Told my housemate that we were having a healthy dinner and she pulled a face. She then took leftovers for lunch today so I’m calling it a win.
I actually forgot to put the butter in and it was still delicious. I am now off to plow the rest of your recipes :)
Hooray! Thanks, Stephanie. So glad you and your skeptical roommate loved the pasta. :)
I’m always looking for recipes that include a lot of veggies so this was perfect for me. It was my first time cooking with asparagus, fresh parsley, and scallions (I confused shallots with scallions. They’re both onion-like so I was close!). My favorite thing about this recipe was the flavoring that the lemon juice added and my last favorite was the big bite of parsley that I took! Thanks a lot!
Yay! Glad you enjoyed this pasta, Loni! I bet scallions were great anyway. Glad you enjoyed it!
I just made this and threw a cup of the extra pasta water in the blender with an avocado before coating the pasta. I also may have added 3x the garlic. So good!
I know this is an old blog entry, but I just tried this recipe. It was spectacular. I used parsley and mint and added some white wine with the pasta water. You have a beautiful blog! Can’t wait to explore more recipes. Thank you!
I made this for my dinner last night, and didn’t realise until I had already prepped all the veggies that I meant to halve the the recipe. Oh well! I just halved the pasta and looked forward to all the extra veggies per serving. I also left out the parmesan in favour of this dairy-free substitute I made to try instead. It worked out just fine and overall this dish is amazing! So tasty.
While it isn’t spring it sure feels like it here in Los Angeles so I decided to give this a try. It was delicious! I just finished leftovers and made myself a moscow mule using your recipe. Thank you for all your great recipes!
Great combination of meal and beverage. :) Thank you, Michelle!
I made this tonight but made it vegan by doing vegan butter and homemade vegan parmesan cheese, topped with fresh basil from my garden this was AMAZING! Definitely one of my favorite recipes I’ve ever made, thanks for passing it along :)
Homemade vegan parmesan cheese! That’s great. You’re very welcome. Thanks for commenting and providing a review.
This was good—I liked the lemon+mint combination. We used walnuts instead of pine nuts. Very fresh and light.
Thank you, Emily!
I substituted here and there: rotini,leeks,chives, toasted sunflower seeds, fresh cilantro. Added peeled shrimp to the boiling pasta. It was super! Thank you!
You’re welcome!
This recipe is an oldie but a goodie. I made this again last night and realized when I got home I had forgotten to pick up lemon at the store! This time, I substituted some balsamic vinegar for the lemon, and it turned out delicious!
I agree with you, Joni! Thanks for the review.
I loved this! I ended up using all of the lemon juice and pasta water and lots of red pepper flakes. I added a cup of fresh chopped spinach to my oregano/basil/mint herbs (sounds weird, but it was fantastic). Also, I used whole wheat fusilli.
Thanks for sharing, Kathie!
PS – I have a vegan friend. Anything you would suggest as a substitute for the cheese?
You could substitute a vegan parmesan cheese. You want this recipe creamy. I haven’t tried it, but let me know what you think!
I didn’t include the toasted pine nuts but this recipe perfectly captures the flavors and colors of spring. Will make again!
You’re welcome, Allie!
I have to make something for a potluck and I have all of these ingredients from my CSA box yesterday. Do you think this would be good room temp? I will have to cook it earlier in the day and not serve until dinner time.
I wouldn’t leave it set out too long. Sorry for my delay! How did it turn out?
Delicious! Used chives from my garden which are just blooming now along with grocery story parsley and locally grown asparagus. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any pine nuts on hand; so I toasted about a cup of panko bread crumbs in a frying pan with a little butter to add some texture. This worked well, but I think the recipe would even be better with pine nuts. Thanks for the great recipe! My family loved it.
I’m glad you were able to use what you had on hand, Patrice! I appreciate your review.
Hi Kate! Thank you for the great recipe, delicious as always! I made it as a weeknight dinner, so I had to make some swaps based on what I found in my pantry. I substituted cheddar for the parmesan and used a mix of toasted almonds and sunflower seeds instead of pine nuts, and it still turned out pretty great :)
Thanks again for the inspiration!
Thanks for sharing!
So delicious and springy! My husband has dietary restrictions so we used gluten-free pasta and skipped the cheese and nuts. I added 4 slices of chopped bacon to make up for the omissions. Cooked bacon and removed from pan, drained half of the grease and sauteed the shallots in the remaining grease. So delicious even my 5year old ate all his dinner, which is super rare!
I’m happy you were able to make this work for your needs, Redkat.
I’ve made this delicious recipe twice and love the incredibly fresh flavors. I used 8 ounces of chickpea pasta and feel like that was the right ratio of ingredients for me. I also like the added protein and fiber that the chickpea pasta provides.
hoping to make this for dinner tonight! bc of limitations, i don’t have shallots or those particular herbs (though i do have fresh thyme & rosemary). any guidance on how to substitute? thank you!
Hi there! Do you have red onion? A small red onion would be a great substitute for the shallot. I’m afraid thyme and rosemary will be too intense here. You can omit the herbs. The dish just won’t be quite as fresh and lively without them—still good, though!
ah bless you, kate! i do have a red onion! thank you so much for your quick reply <3
AMAZING! Made with fresh pappardelle and frozen corn instead of peas and it was delicious!
I’m happy you loved it, Kirsten!
SO TASTY! Definitely have to make again!
SO tasty as always! I used up the last of my farmers market asparagus, added some broccoli, and that was the perfect combination of textures with the peas. Literally spring in a bowl!
I made this with penne pasta becuase that’s what I had on hand and loved it. My husband liked it but wasn’t thrilled with the pine nuts, so the next time I made it I did not mix in the pine nuts and sprinkled them on my serving. Our CSA share included asparagus so guess what’s for dinner tonight…
Colors like spring.
I added carrots for an extra color and omitted the butter. Still very delicious.
Great simple recipe for a week-night dinner.
This was SO surprisingly good! I’m not a huge asparagus or pea fan, but this dish was a perfect way to enjoy them. I used parsley and mint and half the butter. I think I might sprinkle the cheese on post serving instead to make it a little healthier. We will make this again for sure.
I’m glad this recipe was a great way for you to enjoy asparagus and peas! Thank you for your review, Andrea.
Delightful recipe and vibrant with flavors
Thank you for your review Wiley!
It was so delicious! I maybe could have done with 1 less shallot but overall very delicious and great leftovers.
The Spring Pea and Asparagus Pasta is delicious, thank you, Kate! I love the zingy lemon and saucy attributes that go so well with the fresh organic asparagus and peas. I’ve added it to my favourites list
Made this tonight without the cheese to make it vegan with a little extra vegan butter. It turned out delicious! Highly recommend for a springtime meal!
Yes, this is great this season! I appreciate your review.
This was incredible! My 1yr old gobbled it up smacking his lips the whole time and letting me know when he wanted more :) Thank you for such a fresh and delicious recipe. I used scallions, rosemary and mint and was delighted by the lemony flavor. I also completely spaced the pasta water and drained it all off but it still turned out wonderfully thank goodness :) can’t wait to try it again. Thank you Kate!
That’s great to hear, Anna! Thank you for taking the time to review.
My favorite pasta hands down. Makes incredible lunch or dinner. My 3 year old loved it. Thank you Kate!!
You’re welcome, Anna! I appreciate your review.
Delicious recipe for spring. Enjoy the blending of flavors.
I’m glad you love it, Nancy! I appreciate your review.
This was very good and quite easy! I made j half of the recipe and used the juice of the whole lemon, I would use more next time because we love lemon. I’d also invest the ratio of asparagus to peas, again personal preference. But definitely going on the “make again” list!
Amazing!! I prepared this exactly as written and looooved it. Do not skip the lemon, that’s the extra bit of acidity that really kicks it up a notch.
Glad I read the note to half it because it still made plenty for leftovers for the two of us halved. Omnivore partner gave it a 4/5 but tbh I don’t think he’s capable of eating anything without meat without saying “it’s missing something”. Wah wah. He’s wrong. Perfect spring time dish
I’m glad you loved it, Carly! Thank you for your review.
I have been making this every time I see fresh peas in the market in the spring since it was published. That might be 10 years ago??? Certain recipes bring a comforting continuity to life and this is one of them for me. So much has changed since ~2013 but life is beautiful isn’t it?
That’s amazing! Thank you for coming back to share, Ellie. I appreciate your support thought the years!
Absolutely delicious and light!!!!
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it, Leah!
This was ssoooo good and fairly easy. I had everything prepped and its a good thing as it went quite fast as I used WW spaghettini which only took 6 minutes to cook – absolutely delish !!!
Spring-y and delicious! I subbed snap peas, bias-cut, for the shelled peas and used mint as the herb, walnuts instead of pine nuts. As others have mentioned, the lemon is key!
Why do you use unsalted butter in this when the recipe calls for salt?
I find it’s hard to manage the salt with butter that’s salted since it can vary by brand. I hope that helps!
I looked forward to making this because I am a vegetarian. For one thing, I halved the recipe but it still made an enormous amount. And I believe your estimates of cooking time for the different steps are way too generous. My shallots were beginning to burn way before the time allowed and all the other steps needed to be cut down. Have you actually made this recipe? Despite having a lot of ingredients that I love I will not be making this recipe again.
Hi Gayle, this recipe does make a generous 6 servings. Pasta often comes in 16 ounce packages so I based it off that amount, and it’s a pasta dish that reheats well for lunches throughout the week. Cutting the ingredients in half should scale well if you want to cook a smaller amount. How high was your heat while cooking the shallots? If you had it on high, they can burn quickly.
I am not a novice cook. I followed your recipe step by step, including the directions for how high the heat should be. I had the pasta again yesterday and I must say I found it lacking for taste. Had to add more lemon juice and parmesan to help it out. Perhaps I was expecting more but I still found the recipe somewhat bland and too deceptive.in the amount of product.
That was the best salad I will be making it often! Thank you Barb
Oh my gosh! That was so good!
We will put that into the rotation while we can get asparagus!!!!
So so good! Thank you
This was the best pasta dish I have ever made!!! So fresh and satisfying! I added tomatoes to the asparagus and white beans for extra protein at the end!!! A new family favorite! thanks again for another superb recipe Kate!!!