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An easy to make pasta that’s perfect for a side with chicken and fish or as a main meal. This lemon mascarpone pasta is loaded with fresh, sauteed asparagus. The lemon combined with the mascarpone gives this pasta an out-of-this-world taste!
We’re talking easy weeknight pasta today! Easy breezy pasta meal, right here. RIGHT NOW.
It’s no secret that I love easy dinners that I can get on the table in under 30 minutes. And this lemon mascarpone pasta is just that. Plus it requires only a handful of ingredients – only, like, 2 of which aren’t pantry staples. I love gourmet meals that don’t call for 20 million ingredients.
Mainly because when they do call for 20 million ingredients, I have to make multiple trips to the store because, without fail, I will come home forgetting to purchase a few key ingredients. Happens. Every. Single. Time. {insert facepalm here}
Just look at all this tender wittle, babylike asparagus spears. They’ve got me feeling all sorts of happy. ♥ I am totally one of those people that give a little squeal when I find beautiful looking produce at the grocery store. I have no doubt that the people surrounding me were gawking at my reaction to asparagus. Hey, can’t a girl give a squeal around here if she’s finding adorable looking asparagus? Hmmph. I bought these for a steal ($1.88/pound and that is dirt cheap when it comes to my neck of the woods) hence the embarrassing squeals that found their way out.
So that totally means we’re going to be having lemon mascarpone pasta like another 30 times this week because you know I loaded up on that asparagus.
Let’s talk about the key ingredients in this lemon mascarpone pasta. Obvi, we’ve got some sort of pasta, may I recommend rotini? The lemon mascarpone sauce gets into all the little curves of the rotini and you get a burst of flavor at. every. corner. We’re also doing a light sauté on the asparagus, while our pasta boils. A little bit of butta and salt and pepper – that’s all this baby needs.
Mascarpone. Milk. Half and half. Add to a saucepan, boil add seasonings, lemon zest + lemon juice = sauce done.
See what i’m saying here? It’s super quick. If you’ve got three burners running at the same time, you could probably have this lemon mascarpone pasta popped out in half the time. Also, for those of you that have to have some sort of protein to hold you over, I say toss in 2 cups full of rotisserie or cooked chicken. Right into the sauce along with the pasta and asparagus.
Bam! that’s it. So really, you only need 4 main ingredients for this lemon mascarpone pasta recipe. All the other ones are pantry staples. You need 1.) rotini pasta 2.) asparagus 3.) half and half 4.) mascarpone. That’s it folks!
Thats 4 perfect reasons why you need this lemon mascarpone pasta in your life. This pasta is perfect to make and keep in the refrigerator for the course of the week. The flavors almost get better with time, really!
Now go. Make tender asparagus pasta!
Lemon Mascarpone Pasta with Sautéed Asparagus
Ingredients
- 1 lb. rotini pasta cut back to 12 oz if using chicken*
- 1 lb. asparagus ends trimmed and cut into 3-4 pieces
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3/4 cup half and half
- 1 1/2 cups milk I used 2%
- 12 ounces mascarpone cheese cream cheese will work too
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 5 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 8 ounces cooked chicken shredded (rotisserie chicken works too)*
Instructions
- Boil the pasta according to package directions. Generally rotini takes between 7-9 minutes to cook. Drain the pasta, set aside. While the pasta is boiling, heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat, add the asparagus along with salt and pepper and sauté the asparagus for 2-4 minutes until they just start to become a darker shade of green, set aside.
- In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, half and half, milk, and mascarpone until the mascarpone melts down and the sauce starts to come to a simmer. Once simmering allow the sauce to cook for 2 minutes. Add the parmesan cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Let simmer for an additional minute.
- Toss the pasta, asparagus, chicken (if using), and sauce together and serve immediately.
Notes
- Using chicken in this recipe is optional. If you do use chicken, cut the amount of pasta back. Instead of using the 1lb. recommended, use 12 ounces + 8 ounces of cooked, shredded chicken.
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Excellent! The chicken and asparagus put it over the top as well as lemon zest!
Addendum:
I used fresh garlic, 8 cloves minced, instead of powder.
This is so delicious! I used a rotisserie chicken, but did not cut back on the amount of pasta I used. Instead, I doubled the sauce. The flavor is so light and fresh. The sauce itself is very light. I used cream cheese in place of mascarpone. Wonderful!!!
Words cannot describe how much I am craving this pasta right now. It looks seriously amazing and delicious. Great recipe!
this looks SO good. I want it right now 🙁