Lemony Pasta With Asparagus and White Beans

By Melissa Clark

Updated April 7, 2024

  • A white ceramic bowl holds lemony pasta with asparagus and white beans.
    David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(3,077)
Comments
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Marinating canned white beans in lemon juice and zest, along with red-pepper flakes and shallots, imbues them with brightness and a touch of heat, adding so much flavor to this warm-weather pasta. It’s dead simple to make: While the pasta cooks and the beans marinate, sauté the asparagus in olive oil, then use that pan to finish the dish. There’s enough asparagus in the mix to make this a one-pan meal, but serving it with a crisp green salad on the side will add a little crunch and freshness.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

  • 1 large lemon, plus more fresh lemon juice for serving

  • 1 (15-ounce) can white beans, rinsed

  • 1 shallot, finely diced, or 2 tablespoons finely diced red onion

  • 3 garlic cloves (2 thinly sliced, 1 finely grated)

  • ¼ teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more to taste

  • Kosher salt

  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 pound short pasta, such as campanelle, fusilli or farfalle

  • 2 bunches asparagus (about 2 pounds), ends trimmed, stalks sliced into ½-inch pieces

  • ⅔ cup coarsely chopped Italian parsley leaves

  • ½ cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

  • Black pepper

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)

83 grams carbs; 8 milligrams cholesterol; 542 calories; 8 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 14 grams fat; 10 grams fiber; 865 milligrams sodium; 24 grams protein; 7 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Grate the zest from the lemon into a small bowl. Halve the lemon and squeeze the juice from half of it on top of the zest. Add the white beans, shallot or onion, grated garlic, red-pepper flakes and a large pinch of salt and toss well. Drizzle in 1 tablespoon olive oil and set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until just shy of al dente, usually 2 minutes less than the package directs.

  3. Step 3

    Meanwhile, heat a 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil, then add the asparagus. Sauté until the asparagus is tender and starting to brown at the edges, 7 to 10 minutes. Add a big pinch of salt and the sliced garlic and sauté until the garlic is lightly golden, 1 to 2 minutes longer.

  4. Step 4

    Dip a coffee mug or glass measuring cup into the pasta water and scoop out about ½ cup of it to use for the sauce. Drain pasta, shaking it well. Add pasta, bean mixture, parsley and Parmesan to sauté pan and cook until the beans are hot and the pasta is al dente. If the mixture looks dry, splash in some (or all) of the reserved pasta water. Squeeze remaining lemon half over pasta, toss and taste. Season with pepper; add more salt, red-pepper flakes and lemon juice, if desired.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
3,077 user ratings
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Comments

David Cohen de Lara

I don’t see why you would want to take your beautifully sautéed asparagus and then proceed to basically boil them with the pasta. I say add the bean mixture to the pasta pot instead, and don’t add the asparagus until the very last minute when the heat is off. Also as others have said, use less pasta for a better balance.

Kristen

I added the zest from an additional lemon at the end, which helped with the flavor. If I make this again, I will add a second can of beans and might consider cutting the amount of pasta.

LD

Great paired with shrimp (add in with garlic and sautée with asparagus). Halved the pasta to make a better ratio, otherwise it’d be mostly one flavor: pasta. Doubled the amount of lemon which made it a nice complement.

Phil Smith

The lemon overwhelmed the asparagus.

Jo

Less pasta, more lemon. Otherwise, very good!

GT

I add snow peas, green beans, and am liberal with the red pepper.

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