*This Lemony Asparagus Pasta is an easy and elegant dinner for spring. Shaved asparagus and bright green peas mix with a creamy lemon sauce.*

It seems that spiralized zucchini is all the rage recently, doesn’t it?? I’ve always been a bit turned off from this trend, because I really don’t like the idea of raw zucchini. Not just the idea, in fact. I simply just don’t like raw zucchini. I’m aware that if I were to spiralize some zucchinis, I could always give them a light sauté before topping them with sauce. Or, perhaps, I could even try them raw – I might be surprised, especially if they were coated in a nice, flavorful pesto or light tomato sauce. But, for some reason, raw zucchini – including spiralized – still falls in that ‘do not try!’ section of my mind.

I am, however, quite enamored with the idea of adding lots and lots of flavorful vegetables into a delicious pasta dish. Preferably, long spaghetti-like vegetables, so that they’ll mix right in with the pasta and add a nice lightness and freshness to the dish. I know that people often do this with spiralized zucchini – combining it with equal portions cooked spaghetti – but, as mentioned, that’s not really my jam. So, I’m using thin strips of asparagus instead, which I actually think is an even better option. For three specific reasons – you won’t need a spiralizer, just a simple vegetable peeler; the asparagus adds so much flavor, in comparison to which I think watery zucchini would utterly pale; and finally, this dish is perfect for spring! Meaning we should make some this week and the next and for all of April!

In all honesty, I love how the asparagus – boiled ever so briefly as the spaghetti finishes cooking – is full of flavor and tangles into the dish, soaking up the sauce. The yummy, simple sauce, full of bright, tart lemon, creamy mascarpone cheese, and a bit of nutty parmesan. This creamy asparagus pasta is seriously an all-star dish. It takes fifteen minutes to prepare, is loaded with vegetables, and pairs beautifully with a crisp glass of white wine for an easy and elegant weeknight dinner.