Dreaming of spring? This luscious, dairy-free creamy lemon asparagus pasta makes a quick and easy springtime dinner featuring crisp green vegetables and leftover ham or chicken in a creamy, dreamy lemon sauce!
Asparagus is a love/hate vegetable. Every year when fresh asparagus starts showing up at the grocery store, I get excited about all of the spring dishes we get to eat. Asparagus is great just roasted in the oven as a side dish, mixed into pastas and casseroles, or even in stir fry. My husband and I LOVE it, but our kids are ambivalent. They do think getting “asparagus pee” is pretty funny though. Is it okay to talk about that on a food blog?!? #thoughtstoponder
Asparagus gets a starring role in this creamy, dreamy pasta dish. It features fresh asparagus and lemon combined with pantry and freezer staples for a delicious take on spring. It comes together quickly, which means you can throw it together on a weekday evening. Plus, it uses up your leftover holiday ham or that bit of roasted chicken you have in the fridge. Win win!
This recipe is pretty vegetable-heavy, as in there are almost more vegetables than pasta. Meat is more of a condiment in this dish, as we try to keep meat to a minimum most days of the week. We can’t eliminate it completely because at least one of us is allergic to almost every other major protein source! But we like to keep it light. This recipe is just as good if you only use ham and asparagus with no other vegetables, or if you use all of the vegetables but no meat.
Make It Allergy Friendly for You!
As written, this recipe is dairy free, egg free, nut free, garlic/onion free, and gluten free/top 8 free if you use gluten-free flour and pasta. You can swap the coconut milk for 1 3/4 cup of your favorite unsweetened vegan milk. To make this dish completely vegan, simply eliminate the meat altogether, and start the recipe by heating the oil and making the roux. And of course, you can always swap out any of the vegetables for your favorites. You should have about 4.5 cups total vegetables.
I hope you enjoy this springy dairy free creamy lemon asparagus pasta! Let me know in the comments how it turns out!
Dairy Free Creamy Lemon Asparagus Pasta
This creamy, dreamy springtime pasta uses fresh vegetables and pantry staples to get dinner on the table fast! Use leftover ham or chicken for even more time savings.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch fresh asparagus, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 1/2 c. frozen peas
- 1 1/2 c. frozen green beans
- 16 oz of your favorite pasta (regular, whole wheat, or gluten free)
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp. olive or vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 c. diced leftover ham or chicken
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour blend
- 1 (15 oz.) can reduced-fat coconut milk (or 1 3/4 c. milk of your choice)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. grainy mustard
- 1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp. ground pepper
- Zest and juice of one lemon
Instructions
- Fill a large stockpot 3/4 full with water, bring to a rolling boil over medium high heat.
- When water is boiling, add pasta and 2 tsp kosher salt, then set a kitchen timer to the time indicated on your pasta package. When there are three minutes left on the timer, add the asparagus, peas, and green beans to the pot with the pasta.
- Continue cooking until the timer ends, then test pasta and vegetables for doneness. If they are done to your liking, drain out the water then return the pasta and vegetables to the pot and reserve for later.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. When oil is hot, add ham or chicken and saute for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Turn the heat down to medium.
- Make the roux: sprinkle the flour into the skillet and stir until the meat is thoroughly coated and there are no clumps of flour left. The mixture will coat the meat somewhat like a batter and be thick. Slowly stir in the coconut milk, 1/4-1/2 cup at a time, stirring thoroughly after each addition to fully incorporate the milk. The oil/flour/milk mixture will be very thick at first, but will start to thin out into a creamy sauce as you add all of the milk.
- Once you have incorporated all of the coconut milk, stir in the mustard, thyme, 1/2 tsp salt, pepper, and lemon zest. Bring to a light simmer for 3-5 minutes to thicken the sauce and make sure everything is heated through, stirring occasionally. Do not let the sauce mixture boil, because it will separate.
- Pour the creamy sauce mixture into the large pot with the pasta and vegetables. Add the lemon juice, and stir thoroughly to combine. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
This recipe as written is dairy free, egg free, nut free, and soy free. It is gluten free and Top 8 free if you use gluten free flour and pasta. To make this recipe vegan, simply eliminate the meat and in Step 4, heat the oil and begin the roux without adding in the meat. Use your favorite green vegetables or whatever you have on hand, you'll need about 4-4.5 cups of veggies!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 Amount Per Serving: Calories: 317Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 1046mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 4gSugar: 3gProtein: 16gNutrition facts may vary based on the ingredients, swaps, and products used.