One Pot Asparagus Mascarpone Pasta.

All I can say to this asparagus one pot pasta: hello lover!

Now isn’t this just a beautiful sight to see?

All that goodness, right there in that pot! Ready to go. SO FRESH.

A few years ago I shared this one pot mushroom and swiss chard pasta and it remains a huge favorite here on the blog. You guys love it! You often remind me how much I love it too.

That classic tomato basil one pot spaghetti is another dish I really love. I think that Martha did it first? Either way, it was the first one that piqued my interest in these one pot dishes.

I mean sure, I can make a lot of stuff in one pot, but there is something secretly magical about throwing ingredients and dry pasta in a pot with liquid, cooking it for 15 minutes and it making a delicious bowl of dinner! Right?

It makes me feel like I’m Max in the kitchen, so excited with the possibilities of what I can cook and all the newness around me.

Max LOVES to be in the kitchen. He loves to be in our real kitchen and help me make things, but he plays in his toy kitchen every single day. He asks us what we would like and makes us the most perfect plates. Sure, they might include a burger with a pancake and a random bunch of grapes, maybe with a pat of butter on the side, but it’s adorable.

And on his “report card” last month, his teacher wrote that during school, he does “dramatic play in the kitchen.” Yes.

DRAMATIC PLAY IN THE KITCHEN?!

It’s essentially what I do daily and that makes me so, so happy. Warms my heart.

Needless to say, that is what I think a magic one pot pasta is all about. It’s amazing that we can throw everything in this pot and watch something like the below come to life.

Here’s the deal on the asparagus one pot pasta:

The asparagus would normally be cooked a little too much for my liking, so I was shocked at how much I love it here. I tend to roast my asparagus to golden, crispy bits. Boiling it with noodles is not my preferred method of consuming the veg. But when it’s combined with the lemon, garlic, mascarpone and pecorino, it tastes like a big bite of spring. It won’t be bright green and it won’t be crisp either, but it’s still delicious!

If you are extra particular about your asparagus, you can throw it in half way through the cook time OR you could even roast it and throw it in at the end.

Side note: If you’re in a pinch and don’t have asparagus – or find yourself making this in another season, you could sub in broccoli!

I stir in the mascarpone as soon as the noodles have absorbed all the liquid. It melts into this flavorful, slightly creamy but not heavy coating on the pasta. Super good. Extra cheese mixed in too. I like to top it with more fresh herbs and if you’d like, you could add more lemon too.

Crushed red pepper on top gives it a bite and freshly cracked black pepper is so good too.

And then you get this! A big bowl of spring magic.

Asparagus One Pot Pasta

Asparagus One Pot Pasta

Yield: 4 people

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 35 minutes mins

A perfect one pot pasta made with asparagus, shallots, lemon and mascarpone chese. The best weeknight dinner that comes together in a snap!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

4.79 from 19 votes

Leave a Review »

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds asparagus spears
• 1 pound whole wheat spaghetti
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1 lemon, zest grated and juiced
• 4 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, plus extra for topping
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1/3 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese, plus extra for topping
• crushed red pepper flakes, for topping

Instructions 

• Remove the woody stems from the asparagus (I do this by seeing where the end snaps off easily!), then chop the asparagus spears into thirds.
• Place the asparagus, pasta, garlic, shallot, lemon juice and zest, water, stock, parsley, butter, salt and pepper in a large stock pot. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
• Once the noodles have absorbed all of the water, remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the mascarpone cheese and the pecorino, stirring well so all of the noodles get some of the cheese. Stir for a few minutes until it melts and is really incorporated into the pasta. Taste the pasta and add more salt and pepper if you feel like it needs it.
• Serve the pasta immediately with a sprinkle of crushed red pepper and more pecorino!

Notes

Note: if you are particular about the crispness of your asparagus, you can throw it in halfway or even 3/4 of the way through cook time.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Author: How Sweet Eats

Did you make this recipe?

Be sure to follow @howsweeteats on instagram and tag #howsweeteats. You can also post a photo of your recipe to our facebook page.
I appreciate you so much!

Look at those twirls!