Spring Pasta With Asparagus, Peas & Ham

Simple pasta recipe with peas, asparagus, lemon and ham. A little parmesan brings it together making for a delicious and easy meal at any time of the week.

If spring were a pasta, it would be this recipe. The beauty about this pasta is the simplicity but major flavor. The recipe doesn’t require much but a you don’t want to compromise on the ingredients quality as it makes all the difference. As much as this pasta fits the season of spring with its freshness and warmth I must admit I make it all through the year. We don’t alway have ham in the house and when we do this pasta is inevitable.

What ingredients do you need to make this Spring Pasta?

Pasta –

I would suggest using a any short pasta you can find. I have used orecchiette but you can use farfale, conchiglie, macaroni etc. We need to save the the pasta liquid, to make the sauce.

Peas –

I have used frozen peas to make this pasta but use what ever you can find.

Asparagus –

Ideally you want to use the thick asparagus but I couldn’t find any near me so I used the thin asparagus’s, I just doubled the quantity for them.

Lemon –

We need lemon zest and the juice in this recipe, I wouldn’t recommend using the bottle stuff here.

Onion –

We only need 1 onion here, finely sliced as it wilts into the pasta which adds flavor. We are not looking at texture here.

Garlic –

Minced garlic gives this pasta a good lift in flavor I would recommend grating the garlic through a grater directly. You could finely chop it too but the flavor is not as intense.

Ham –

I have used ham slices that were chopped in cubes, you can use canned ham or freshly sliced. You could also use salami or sliced sausages. If you want to keep this recipe vegetarian, replace the ham with sliced zucchini.

Cheese –

A little cheese goes along way. I used parmesan cheese here but you can use cheddar cheese as well. I wouldn’t recommend using a melting cheese like mozzarella, we want flavor.

Dried Herbs –

I have used a little dried sage in this recipe but you can use any dried herbs you like.

What equipment do you need to make this Spring Pasta?

A stock pot to boil the pasta, a strainer to drain the water and a wooden spoon. The pasta sauce can be made in a pan, the garlic needs to be grated and we need a chopping board and knife for the rest of the ingredients.

How to make this Spring Pasta?

Start by boiling the pasta as per the package instructions. Save 1 cup of the pasta liquid before draining the excess water out. In a pan on medium heat, add the butter, minced garlic, onions, salt and sweat for a couple of minutes. Add the asparagus, peas and ham, cook for a minute, add the pasta liquid, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and stir. Cover the sauce and let it simmer. Toss the pasta into the pan and stir together. Adjust seasoning and add more cheese. Finish with lemon zest, lemon juice. Serve it hot with white wine.

Storing this Spring Pasta?

You can store the leftovers in an air tight container for 3 days. When ready to eat warm it in the microwave.

Now that we have covered how to make this Spring Pasta, you can have a look at the recipe video on my socials but let’s get to it. Don’t forget to follow along for more fun recipe inspiration.

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking.