Asparagus Mushroom Fettuccine Alfredo
Fettuccine Alfredo with blanched fresh asparagus, sautéed mushrooms, perfectly cooked pasta, and a lemon garlic parmesan cream sauce for an amazing dinner. This spring pasta recipe is loaded with vibrant vegetables and the most amazing flavor.
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 pounds asparagus ends trimmed, bottoms peeled, cut into 1" pieces (thick stalks recommended) *note: this is A LOT of asparagus and can easily be reduced by half
- 1 pound fettucine
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 8 tablespoons butter
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 24 ounces mushrooms sliced
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 lemon Meyer lemons recommended if available, zested and juiced
- 1 bunch fresh basil leaves sliced thin
- 1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese finely grated from a block
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Blanch the asparagus:
- Prepare the asparagus by trimming the ends, peeling the bottom half (optional but recommended), and cut into 1 inch pieces.
- Boil a large pot of water and prepare a large bowl of ice water.
- Add the asparagus to the boiling water for 1 minute, then immediately drain and add to the ice bath. Once they have chilled, drain the asparagus from the ice bath.
Cook the pasta:
- Boil a large pot of water with the tablespoon of salt. Add pasta to boiling water and cook al dente. Before draining, scoop out at least a cup of salted pasta water to thin sauce later, if needed. Drain pasta and keep warm.
Make the Alfredo sauce with vegetables:
- Add butter to large sauté pan and heat over medium high heat. Add diced onion and mushrooms, stir to coat in butter, and let cook until they start to stick to the pan, stirring only to prevent burning. Add garlic, stir, and allow to cook until slightly browned.
- Add heavy cream. Stir well and scrape the bottom of the pan to release anything that stuck. Once it starts to bubble around the edges, reduce heat to low and stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, and basil.
- Add parmesan and stir until sauce thickens and parmesan melts.
- Add blanched asparagus, stir, and cook until heated through.
- Add alfredo sauce with vegetables to drained pasta in large pot. Stir to combine. Add small amounts of salted pasta water to thin, if desired. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Serve warm with additional grated parmesan.
Notes
- Timing: Plan on cooking the pasta at the same time as the sauce. If using dried pasta, plan for 8-10 minutes of cooking time once the water comes to a roaring boil. If using fresh pasta, it will only take a couple of minutes to cook.
- Asparagus notes: For the most tender vibrant green asparagus, it's best to blanch it first. Also, this recipe uses A LOT of asparagus, so feel free to cut the amount in half. I find thick stalks work best for this recipe.
- Pan size: I used an All-Clad 3-quart sauté pan to cook the veggies and the sauce and they barely fit once the asparagus was added. Next time I will use a 12" pan or will cut the amount of asparagus.
- Reheating leftovers: Alfredo pasta recipes can be reheated, but they need to reheated gently to prevent the cream sauce to turning into oil. Either reheat in a covered pot over low heat or in the microwave at 50% power, stirring frequently.
Nutrition
Calories: 648kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 172mg | Sodium: 1314mg | Potassium: 760mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2426IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 326mg | Iron: 5mg