Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Lemon Pasta

I love pasta. SP loves pasta. Baby Girl loves pasta. That said, we eat pasta at least once a week in this house. I'm always on the lookout for new recipes and after seeing various versions of this Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Lemon Pasta I decided to go to the source and see what we were missing.

This came together so quickly Baby Girl and I were scrambling the finish mixing the cheese and seasonings before the pasta and asparagus finished cooking. It took some tweaking to get the seasonings right - this needed a generous amount of salt and pepper to bring out all the flavors, plus a healthy dose of lemon juice. The pasta water really helped thin out the sauce and make it extra creamy. I ended up adding a full 8-oz log of goat cheese because, well, I'd already opened the package. I also added a fried egg to my lunch the next day - heavenly. So delicious and creamy, with a nice bite from the goat cheese and zing of the lemon juice. It tickles me that Baby Girl enjoys things like goat cheese - she was helping me crumble the cheese and then licked her fingers to get every last bit off.

A note about the above photo - Baby Girl has seen me take pictures of my food since I started cooking and blogging again after she was born. During the months when I'm able to take advantage of natural light I go out on the porch to take my photos. The night we made this, Baby Girl insisted on bringing her own bowl outside so I could photograph her portion. My heart melted.

What a perfect, easy weeknight meal. I've seen people sub spinach for the asparagus but I'm a sucker for those spears.

Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Lemon Pasta
As seen on Smitten Kitchen, adapted from Bon Appetit

1 pound spiral-shaped pasta
1 pound slender asparagus spears, trimmed, cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon, thyme or basil) plus more for garnish
1 8-ounce log soft fresh goat cheese (the pre-crumbled stuff will not melt as well)
Salt and pepper
Fresh lemon juice to taste

Cook the pasta in a large pot of well-salted water. Three minutes before the pasta is done (according to the package directions) add the asparagus and cook until firm-tender. Drain both pasta and asparagus together, reserving one cup of pasta water.

Meanwhile, combine the olive oil, lemon zest, thyme (or herb of choice) and goat cheese in a large bowl, breaking up the goat cheese as you put it in. Add the hot pasta and asparagus to the bowl, along with some of the pasta water. Toss until combined, adding more pasta water if needed. Taste and season generously with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Keep adjusting the seasonings, if needed. Serve hot or room temperature.

Pasta with Lemony Chicken and Asparagus

When you have a food blog you tend to be the one who does most of the cooking in your house. This works well for us - I work from home now but even when I was commuting to an office I was always home before SP. He is a fantastic cook, his first job was working in a restaurant, but his schedule has made it difficult for him to get in the kitchen these last few years. Recently he asked me to make it possible for him to cook one meal on a weekend (usually Sunday). He spent a lot of time looking through my back issues of Cook's Country before choosing this recipe for Pasta with Lemony Chicken and Asparagus.

As agreed, I stayed out of the kitchen and let him do his thing. Baby Girl helped trim the asparagus (she loves snapping off the woody ends) and I consulted when he had any questions but this meal was entirely his. And it was fantastic, light and flavorful with the brightness of the lemon and the kick from the garlic. The asparagus were perfect - not to thin and not to thick, cooked until tender but not mushy. The chicken was nicely browned and we both loved the campanelle pasta even if it was almost twice the price of our usual store brand. I can't say enough good things about this meal. Even the leftovers were awesome.

The original recipe calls for 4 chicken breasts (1 1/2 lbs) and only half a pound of pasta. I convinced SP to cut it down to 3 chicken breasts and it was still a lot of chicken. I'm modifying the recipe to only 2 chicken breasts. I also think a bunch of asparagus is less than a pound (we didn't weigh it) so you might want to buy two bunches - you can never have too much asparagus.

I can't wait to see what he'll make next!

Pasta with Lemony Chicken and Asparagus
Cook's Country Magazine April/May 2008

8 ounces campanelle pasta
Salt and pepper
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4"-thick slices
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
8 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta to boiling water and cook according to package directions. Drain and reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Return pasta to the pot and set aside.

Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook half the chicken until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes per side. Remove to a plate and repeat with another tablespoon of butter and the remaining chicken.

Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the now-empty pan and add the asparagus. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, chicken, asparagus, lemon juice, cheese and parsley to the pot with the pasta and toss to combine, adding the 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water as needed to make a sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed, then serve.

Linguine with Alfredo, Asparagus, Peas and Poached Egg

I love this time of year. Now that the weather is getting warmer I'm gearing up for the influx of fresh fruits and veggies, especially asparagus. I absolutely love asparagus and while we do buy them throughout the year they're always best (and cheapest) in season, of course.

Paula recently posted this gorgeous Spring Linguine with Alfredo, Poached Egg and Asparagus. Adding poached eggs to a pasta dish is pure genius, especially pasta that involves asparagus - because we all know eggs and asparagus are a match made in heaven.

I was worried my bunch of asparagus wouldn't stretch to a full pound of pasta so I added in another springtime favorite - peas. Asparagus and peas also go well together and they were a great addition to the dish.

I was skeptical of poaching the eggs in advance and reheating them, worried the yolk would overcook, but I was proved wrong. What a great idea, especially for brunch parties. Being able to make a bunch of poached eggs in advance and then reheat right before serving is brilliant. This is a delicious spring dish I can't wait to remake during asparagus season.

Linguine with Alfredo, Asparagus, Peas and Poached Egg
Slightly modified from The Saucy Southerner

1lb linguine or spaghetti
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup frozen peas
4 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups half & half
salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (this is about an ounce)
4 large eggs, poached to desired doneness

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package directions. In the last two minutes add the asparagus to the pasta water to cook. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Add pasta back to the pot and stir in the peas.

While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a pot, then add the cream, salt and pepper. Allow to thicken slightly, then turn off the heat and add the Parmesan cheese. Add the sauce to the pasta and vegetables and toss to coat. Thin with some of the pasta cooking water, if necessary.

Remove the pasta to plates, creating a nest in the center for the eggs. Reheat poached eggs for 15 seconds in hot (but not boiling) water and remove with a slotted spoon to the top of the pasta. Garnish with more Parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper.

Recipe Swap: Balsamic Parmesan Asparagus

I love asparagus. It's one of my all-time favorite vegetables and I can't get enough of it in early spring when it's in season. The theme for this week's recipe swap was Side Dishes and when I did the swapping and ended up with Katie's Balsamic Parmesan Asparagus I felt like I'd hit the jackpot.

The original recipe says this feeds 8-10 people as a side dish but that must not be for true asparagus lovers like us. My two bunches were a little over 2lbs and the two of us polished it off between dinner and leftovers for lunch the next day. Maybe someday Baby Girl will realize how awesome asparagus tastes and like more than just snapping the ends off and tossing the spears with oil and seasoning.

My spears were so thin I skipped the blanching step altogether, opting to let them roast in the oven. The balsamic drizzle was a delicious finishing touch. Definitely take the recipe's advice and open your windows. Even though it was a brisk night I had the kitchen window and the back slider open for a cross breeze, as well as the ceiling fan on in the living room and the exhaust fan on over the stove. There's nothing like inhaling a big ol' whiff of boiling vinegar - it's not pleasant so don't do it!

Thanks for a delicious recipe, Kate!

Balsamic Parmesan Asparagus
As seen on Kate's Recipe Box, originally from Leite’s Culinaria

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar or a few drops top-notch balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon salt, plus more to taste
2 lbs. asparagus, tough ends snapped off
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1 cup (about 4oz.) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preheat the oven to 350.

If using top-notch balsamic vinegar, skip this step. Otherwise, open a window and turn on the exhaust fan. Put the vinegar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, swirling the pan occasionally, until the vinegar is reduced by half, anywhere from 7 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the saucepan. Remove from the heat.

Bring a pot of water to boil. Add 1 tablespoon of the salt and the asparagus and blanch until barely tender, about 1 minute for spears of average thickness, more for thicker spears. Skip this step if you have pencil-thin spears. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Pat the asparagus dry with paper towels. (You can keep the asparagus at room temperature or refrigerate it for up to several hours.)

Place the asparagus in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Add salt to taste, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the oil, and toss to coat. Sprinkle the asparagus with the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Bake until the spears are tender and the cheese is browned and almost bubbling (it won’t actually melt), about 5 minutes.

Transfer asparagus to a platter. Drizzle with the reduced balsamic vinegar or a few drops of the really top notch stuff. Serve immediately.

Click the links below to see side dishes made by my fellow swappers.

Proscuitto-Wrapped Asparagus

Now that summer weather is here to stay SP has asked that we do something simple, preferably on the grill, for dinner on Sundays. The first of these meals involved chicken seasoned with a spice mix with lots of heat and grilled asparagus wrapped with proscuitto.


I seasoned the asparagus spears with olive oil, salt and pepper before grilling it then wrapped each spear in a slice of proscuitto. I spritzed some lemon juice on before serving. It was a delicious pairing. At the same meal we had cantaloupe wrapped in more of the proscuitto, which is my absolute favorite way to eat proscuitto.

These would make a great appetizer for a cocktail party, especially if the asparagus was thinner. Mine was thick so the spears were chunky and small as opposed to thin and long.

Proscuitto-Wrapped Asparagus

1 bunch of asparagus
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Thin slices of proscuitto, one per asparagus spear
Lemon juice

Trim the woody ends off the bottom of the asparagus spears by holding each spear and snapping off the bottom where it naturally breaks. Toss the spears with oil, salt and pepper.

Preheat your grill. When hot, grill the asparagus to your desired doneness.

Wrap each spear in a slice of proscuitto. Arrange on a plate and spritz with lemon juice. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe Swap - Honey Mustard Salmon with Potatoes and Asparagus

Want to see what other Fish/Seafood recipes were made during the swap? Here is the link to the Fish/Seafood Recipe Swap Roundup

The theme for this week's swap was Fish/Seafood. I don't cook a lot of fish so I was excited to get this recipe for Honey Mustard Salmon with Asparagus from Jenna at Jenna's Cooking Journey. I thought roasted potatoes would go beautifully with the salmon and asparagus so I added them to the recipe.


This was a gorgeous plate of food. SP took one look and whistled his approval, telling me he's happy we're on a restaurant hiatus since he loves the food I cook at home. I have to admit, I was pretty impressed myself. Our supermarket sells beautiful salmon already cut into fillets and vacuum-sealed, so this was a breeze to prepare. I also liked that everything cooks in the oven, aside from a few minutes on the stove-top to brown the salmon.

The glaze was delicious, but I agree with SP that it could use more Dijon to pack that flavor punch. I will definitely be making this one again. Thanks, Jenna!


Honey Mustard Salmon with Potatoes and Asparagus
Modified from Jenna's Cooking Journey

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
4 salmon fillets
1 lb potatoes, scrubbed and cut into chunks
1 teaspoon fresh thyme or rosemary, finely chopped
1 bunch asparagus
Lemon juice
Grated Pecorino cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the butter and brown sugar in a bowl and microwave for 30 seconds until they have melted together. Stir in the mustard, honey, and soy sauce.

Heat the oil in an ovenproof skillet over high heat. Season the salmon with salt and pepper and add to the pan flesh side down. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until fully browned and flip. Brush with half of the glaze and place the pan in the oven until the salmon is firm and flaky (but before the white fat begins to form on the surface) about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, place potatoes on one half of a large baking sheet, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and thyme or rosemary and roast 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven, place asparagus on the other half of the baking sheet, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and return to oven to cook about 10-15 minutes until the potatoes and asparagus are both tender. Sprinkle asparagus with lemon juice and Pecorino before serving.

Recipe Swap: Grilled Chicken and Potatoes with Roasted Garlic-Oregano Vinaigrette

Want to see what other Chicken recipes were made during the swap? Here is the link to the Chicken Part II Recipe Swap Roundup



I love chicken. It's tasty and versatile, but I'm always on the hunt for new ways to cook it. Once again I got my friend Jaida's recipe (Grilled Chicken and Potatoes with Roasted Garlic-Oregano Vinaigrette) and it was another winner. The vinaigrette elevates simple grilled chicken and potatoes to new heights.





I made the vinaigrette in the morning before work. Making the roasted garlic was easy - I wrapped the cloves of garlic in tinfoil and baked them at 400 for about 25 minutes until they were soft. I ended up adjusting the ratio of oil to vinegar because I like my vinaigrette tangy. It was easy to come home and prepare this meal, which is a huge plus in my book.





The original recipe called for fingerling potatoes, but I just sliced some scrubbed Yukon golds to resemble fingerlings instead of paying a premium for the cute little spuds. After parboiling them I finished them on the grill along with the chicken. Since our gas grill has been finicky lately and SP wasn't home to man the charcoal grill, I cooked the chicken and potatoes on my Griddler. It took much, much longer than it would have if I'd used gas or charcoal, so long that SP finally asked when the heck we were going to eat. So keep that in mind if you're using an indoor grill. I was happy that the potatoes got some grill marks on them, though:





The vinaigrette was so good that I even dipped the asparagus in the pool on my plate. The asparagus were simply roasted in the toaster oven with oil, salt and pepper. I'd have done them on the grill if I had room, but the chicken and potatoes had taken over both sides of the Griddler.



Grilled Chicken and Potatoes with Roasted Garlic-Oregano Vinaigrette

Modified from Sweet Beginnings



8 cloves garlic

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves

2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes

12 fingerling potatoes, scrubbed (or 5 medium potatoes, cut into wedges)

Olive oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Freshly ground black pepper



Wrap garlic cloves in tinfoil and bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes, until soft. Allow to cool.



Combine garlic, vinegar, oregano, parsley, honey and salt in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the oil and process until emulsified. Stir in the red chili flakes.



Place potatoes in a medium saucepan, cover with cold water and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until a paring knife inserted comes out with some resistance. Do not cook the potatoes all the way through because they will continue cooking on the grill. Drain well and toss with olive oil.



Heat the grill to medium-high heat.



Brush the chicken with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken on the grill and cook until golden brown and slightly charred. Turn the chicken over and continue grilling until just cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. A few minutes before the chicken has finished cooking, place the potatoes on the grill, cut-side down and cook until lightly golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn over and continue grilling about a minute longer.



Remove the chicken and potatoes to a platter and immediately drizzle with the roasted garlic-oregano vinaigrette.

Roasted Asparagus

No real recipe for this, just a photo of delicious roasted asparagus we had recently.


I was going to grill these but our gas grill ran out of propane and SP didn't feel like setting up the charcoal grill, so I roasted them in our toaster oven. Drizzled with oil, salt and pepper and finished with a shower of grated Pecorino cheese.

Asparagus Carbonara

I've been having a love affair with asparagus lately, so when I saw this recipe for Pasta with Asparagus, Bacon, and Egg I couldn't wait to try it.


The more I thought about it, the more I realized how much the recipe reminded me of carbonara, which if you've read this blog for any length of time you'll know is my all-time favorite pasta dish. I decided to combine the two recipes, subbing the asparagus for the onion in the original recipe. The result was a delicious and beautiful spring dish that feels healthier because of the beautiful, crisp, green asparagus.



Asparagus Carbonara
Recipes from The Local Cook and Nigella Lawson

4 ounces bacon, chopped
1 1/2 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
Splash of vermouth
8 ounces short-cut pasta
2 eggs
Splash of heavy cream
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
salt and pepper to taste
Freshly ground nutmeg

Bring a large pot of water to boil and salt it. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.

In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until brown. Add the asparagus and cook to desired doneness (5-10 minutes). Once asparagus is cooked, add the vermouth and let it bubble so that, after a few minutes, you have a small amount of salty winey syrup left. Add the drained pasta to the pan and toss to coat the pasta with the winey syrup. Take the pan off the heat.

In a bowl beat together the eggs, Parmesan, cream, and pepper. Add the mixture to the pan, swiftly tossing everything to mix. Top with more grated cheese, if desired.

Asparagus with Tomato and Feta

We always have asparagus as part of our Easter celebration, but this year I wanted to try something different. I'd seen this recipe for Asparagus with Tomato and Feta on Annie's Eats awhile ago and knew it would be perfect.


I made the tomato and feta mixture the night before and reheated it just to take the chill off before serving. I roasted the asparagus instead of steaming them because we like the flavor of roasted asparagus. Grilled would be even better, I think. I bought 3 bunches of beautiful, thin asparagus spears and we barely had half a bunch left after 6 adults descended on the platter.

Asparagus with Tomatoes and Feta
Modified from Annie's Eats

1 bunch asparagus
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, finely minced
2-3 vine ripened tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 oz. crumbled feta cheese
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Lay the asparagus in a single layer (or as close to a single layer as you can get) on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to evenly coat, then bake for 10-15 minutes until the asparagus are as tender as you like.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté the shallot until tender, 3-4 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes to the pan and cook 2-3 minutes, just to warm and wilt very slightly. Remove the shallot-tomato mixture from the heat, stir in the feta, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place the warm asparagus on a serving platter (or individual plates) and top with the tomato-feta mixture.

Spicy Pork and Asparagus Stir Fry

Brianna over at Oishii recently posted this recipe for Spicy Pork with Asparagus and Chile. It looked great and was a departure from our usual meals so I put it on this week's menu. The same day I was planning to make it someone posted about it on my cooking board, prompting a discussion about the dish. As it turns out, the recipe (which came from Bon Appetit) lacked a little something according to those who had made it. Suggestions were thrown out about how to make it better so I ended up modifying the recipe.


The result was really good. I don't usually cook with ground pork and I liked the flavor, plus now that asparagus was in season I was happy for an excuse to use it.

UPDATE July 2013 - I recently realized that I no longer use the recipe as it was originally written and it was time to update this post. I've been using my friend Melissa's modified version of this recipe ever since she posted it. It's simply perfect - spicy and flavorful and just the right amount of sauce. I usually serve it over rice but I had some leftover pork and asparagus in the freezer recently and served it over angel hair, which was amazing.

Spicy Pork and Asparagus Stir Fry
As seen on Alosha's Kitchen, modified from Bon Appetit

2 tablespoons + 1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 pounds ground pork
2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
1 pound thin asparagus spears, trimmed, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch pieces
2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Sriracha chile garlic sauce
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1 tablespoon honey
4 scallions, sliced

Whisk 2 tablespoons soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and cornstarch in medium bowl. Add pork and mix lightly to blend.

Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in heavy large wok (or deep skillet) over high heat. Add asparagus, Sriracha, ginger and garlic. Toss until asparagus is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer asparagus to a bowl and set aside.

Add remaining tablespoon sesame oil to wok. Add pork and stir-fry until browned, using spoon to break up pork into small pieces, about 4 minutes. Return asparagus to the pan, along with the remaining 1/4 cup soy sauce, oyster sauce, and honey. Stir-fry until pork is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Add scallions; toss to incorporate.

Serve over rice or noodles.