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Lemon Feta Linguine with Garlic Asparagus

Lemon Feta Linguine with Garlic Asparagus

A couple of weeks ago, I was professing my love of pasta and this feeling has not waned.

Last recipe post, I was talking about my love of lemons and made one of my all-time favourite recipes: Classic Lemon Blueberry Loaf Cake {Drools}.

In this post, I’m combining these two food loves of mine and sharing this seriously delicious bright lemony pasta!

Asparagus is one of my favourite springtime ingredients to use. It can be prepared in so many ways: eat it raw, roast, blanch, steam, pan fry it, etc!

It has a distinctive flavour that is hard to describe; a more bolder green bean? Let me know what you think in the comments!

In this recipe, the asparagus is quickly (it takes only a few minutes) pan-fried with garlic, which creates tasty toasted garlic bits, before being mixed into the pasta along with an addictive lemon-feta sauce.

A delightful combination that would make a great weeknight dinner for two.

I hope you enjoy this recipe for Lemon Feta Linguine with Garlic Asparagus!

How do you make this lemon asparagus pasta?

Ingredient amounts and full instructions available in the recipe card down below.

Linguine, feta, asparagus, garlic cloves, a lemon, salt and pepper shakers, and a bowl of olive oil.

Get your ingredients ready! Fresh asparagus, lemon, dried linguine, feta cheese, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Boil the linguine pasta until al dente.

A small glass bowl of lemon feta sauce.

Whisk together the “sauce” ingredients while you cook the linguine.

I used a whole lemon (zest and juice), salty, tangy feta cheese, olive oil, and freshly cracked black pepper to create the quick sauce.

A saute pan featuring sliced asparagus and crispy brown garlic.

Give the asparagus and garlic a quick sauté.

This is delicious on its own. The asparagus is tender-crisp and the garlic is toasted and crunchy!

A pan of lemon feta linguine tossed with garlic asparagus.

Toss the linguine with the lemon-feta sauce and asparagus in the pan.

When the sauce is tossed together with the warm linguine and a little pasta water, the ingredients cling to every pasta strand, making it wonderfully creamy without the need for cream.

Lemon Feta Linguine with Garlic Asparagus on a white plate with linguine twirled around a fork.

Top with more feta cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Looking for more simple and delicious pasta recipes? Check out these four!

Lemon Feta Linguine with Garlic Asparagus on a white plate with linguine twirled around a fork; a kitchen towel placed beside the plate.

I hope you try this lemon feta linguine recipe! If you do, please leave me a rating and comment down below or tag me on any of my social media. I’m @yay_for_food on Instagram. I’ll love a picture!

Lemon Feta Linguine with Garlic Asparagus

Lemon Feta Linguine with Garlic Asparagus

Yield: 2
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Enjoy this delicious lemon linguine pasta with pan-fried garlic asparagus and creamy feta cheese. A fast and easy vegetarian meal ready in under 30 minutes!

Ingredients

  • 4 oz. uncooked linguine pasta

For the sauce:

  • 1 lemon, juice and zest* (see first Note below)
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
  • Cracked black pepper

For the asparagus:

  • 6 oz. (12 spears) asparagus, woody ends removed and cut into 1½ inch pieces
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Boil the linguine pasta in salted water according to package directions until one minute prior to al dente. Drain and reserve ½ cup of pasta water. Set aside.
  2. For the sauce. While the pasta is cooking, in a separate bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, and olive oil together until well combined. Then add in the feta and black pepper, whisking well until the sauce combines to become creamy and mostly uniform in texture.** Set aside.
  3. For the asparagus. Using a large skillet at medium-high heat, add the olive oil and garlic, swirling the pan for 5 seconds (slightly toasting the garlic). Add in the asparagus, salt, and pepper, stirring frequently until the asparagus is tender-crisp, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and place the asparagus in another bowl.
  4. Using the same skillet, reduce the heat to low, then add the pasta and sauce. Using tongs, toss to evenly coat the pasta with the sauce, letting the feta cheese completely melt. Spoon in a tablespoon of pasta water at a time to get to your desired saucy consistency.
  5. Add in the asparagus and give the pasta a final toss. Top with additional feta cheese if you would like. Taste for additional salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • *About 1 tbsp lemon zest and ¼ cup lemon juice. This will make it a really lemony pasta dish; reduce the amount of zest and juice if you prefer a more mild lemon flavour.
  • **It’s fine if there are still visible pieces of feta cheese; they will melt when mixed with the pasta.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 458

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Paula Blanchard

Wednesday 3rd of March 2021

Yum!!! I made a couple adjustments: used baby rigatoni, and 50-50 butter and olive oil. Also sprinkled additional feta, and a sprinkle of chopped Italian parsley.

Maria V-T

Wednesday 14th of October 2020

We’re trying more vegetarian options and this was incredible! I doubled the recipe to have more leftovers and I’m so glad I did. The only change I made was to add a pinch of red pepper flakes in with the garlic for a little bit more complexity and it was so delicious. I’ll definitely come back to this one! Thank you!

Marie | Yay! for Food

Friday 16th of October 2020

You're welcome Maria! I'm glad you like this recipe!

Anne

Monday 5th of October 2020

Delicious weeknight/haven't been grocery shopping recently meal! I personally love acidity, so I enjoyed the lemon. I didn't have asparagus so I subbed kale and added a shallot. Definitely a new staple, and a great jumping off point for new meals!!

Marie | Yay! for Food

Friday 9th of October 2020

Thank you so much, Anne! Your variation of this recipe sounds delicious!

Julie

Saturday 22nd of February 2020

How do you think this would go with chick pea pasta?

Marie | Yay! for Food

Saturday 22nd of February 2020

Hi Julie! Personally, I think the slightly nutty flavour of chickpea pasta would go well with the other ingredients in this recipe.

Tamara Mullings

Friday 7th of February 2020

For those who dislike feta and goat cheese, what’s a more tame alternative cheese?

Marie | Yay! for Food

Friday 7th of February 2020

Hi Tamara! Feta is such a key component in this dish, it's difficult to recommend a substitute other than goat cheese. If you like parmesan, I do have a recipe for Black Pepper and Parmesan Spaghetti with Garlic Roasted Tomatoes.

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