Name: Spring Vegetable Pasta
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Pasta
Ingredients: 1/2 lb asparagus, tough ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups chopped); 1 teaspoon olive oil; Salt and pepper, to taste; 8 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti; 1/4 cup butter; 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper; 1 1/2 cups finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese; 1/2 cup peas; 1/2 cup marinated artichoke hearts, roughly chopped

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A spring vegetable pasta ready in 30 minutes! This pasta is a spin on cacio e pepe, super cheesy and peppery, piled high with fresh spring veggies like asparagus, peas and artichokes!I love cooking with spring vegetables this time of year. Did you know that seasonal produce tastes better, retains more nutrients, and is less expensive?! All the more reason to add spring veggies to your plate this month and next.

This pasta dish is inspired by one of my favorite pasta dishes, cacio e pepe. It’s a Roman dish that only calls for a few ingredients for the sauce – butter, pecorino cheese, pepper, and reserved pasta water.

The sauce is creamy, salty, and peppery and it pairs beautifully with nutty whole-wheat spaghetti and fresh peas and asparagus.

Not only does this dish require few ingredients, it’s also super quick and easy to make for a weeknight meal, ready in 30 minutes!

If you love pasta, cheese, and veggies, this recipe is for you. And, for a quick step-by-step, check this recipe out in Web Stories!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Notes on Ingredients

Spaghetti: I used a whole-wheat version but feel free to use regular spaghetti or a gluten-free version like brown rice spaghetti if that’s your jam.

Pepper: Make sure this is freshly cracked black pepper for the most flavor

Pecorino Romano: This is the cheese that is traditionally used in cacio e pepe but if you don’t have it you could always substitute parmesan cheese. Pecorino has a shorter aging process than Parmesan which makes for a strong, tangy flavor that works well in this dish.

Peas: Fresh green peas would be awesome in this dish if you can find them or even shelled fava beans! But if you can’t find either, frozen green peas work too!

How to Make Spring Vegetable Pasta

Step 1: Roast asparagus in the oven.

Step 2: Cook pasta.

Step 3: Heat butter and pepper in pan.

Step 4: Add reserved pasta water.

Step 5: Gradually whisk in cheese.

Step 6: Toss pasta in sauce.

Step 7: Add spring vegetables.

Expert Tips

Let pasta water and butter sauce sit for a few minutes before adding the cheese – this will help make sure the sauce isn’t too hot, which can cause the cheese to clump.
Gradually add in cheese a little at a time while whisking over low heat to help the cheese melt evenly.
Use finely grated cheese – freshly grated also works better!
If your cheese isn’t melting, keep whisking over low heat until it does!

Recipe FAQs

What other spring vegetables could I use in this recipe?

Other seasonal spring veggies you could throw in this pasta are: arugula, morels (technically a funghi!), spinach, fava beans, and leeks.

Why is my cheese clumping in the sauce?

This could happen for a variety of reasons: not letting pasta water/butter sauce rest for a few minutes before adding cheese, not adding the cheese gradually a little at a time, you’re not using finely grated cheese or it’s not freshly grated, you added the pasta in with the cheese.

Why is my cheese not melting?

Keep whisking over low heat and it will eventually melt but this can take up to 5 minutes!

For more spring inspired meals, check out my recipes below!

If you like this recipe, please be sure to give it a 5 star rating below. If you make it, share it on Instagram and tag me @karalydonrd and I’ll re-share it with my followers! If you want to save this recipe for later, be sure to pin it on Pinterest!