This spaghetti with Sauteed Asparagus and Prawns can be on your table in just 30 minutes. A fresh, light and full of flavor first course.
A perfect recipe for both a special occasion and your weekly menu thanks to the speed of preparation.
If you like easy pasta recipes like this one, then you’ll love Spaghetti with italian Friggitelli Peppers and Peppers Pasta with Balsamic and Almonds
I also love Spaghetti with Aubergine and Anchovies and Zucchini Pesto Tagliatelle
Are you looking for more asparagus recipes? Have a look at my Asparagus and Cheese Tart and a delightful Asparagus Risotto
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What makes this recipe great
- Just a handful of easy ingredients
- Packed with protein
- Perfect for a light lunch, easy dinner
- It's keto, low-carb, paleo and gluten-free
Ingredients
- Spaghetti: You could also use linguine instead of spaghetti but I wouldn't recommend using any short pasta shape.
- Prawns: I prefer using whole and raw prawns, when possible. It's important to choose them from a sustainable source. I try to avoid frozen prawns
- Asparagus: fresh is best
- Wine: Use a dry white wine, it adds flavor to the dish
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
How to cook asparagus: remove the white part, separate the stems from the tops and keep them aside
Peel the hardest part of the stems and cut it into rings. Chop the shallot and sauté it over low heat. Add the asparagus and cook for a few minutes or until tender, adding a few tablespoons of water, if necessary. Salt
Pour the cooked asparagus into another narrow container and reduce to cream with an immersion mixer, adding a little pasta cooking water, until you get a cream.
Make a delicate incision on the back and devein to remove the sandiest part, without removing the shell.
Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, then add the garlic, chili flakes and saute until golden brown. Pour the shrimp tails with the shell and after a minute the wine that you will let evaporate. Season with salt and turn off.
Brown the asparagus tips for a few minutes. Season with salt.
Cook the spaghetti.
Transfer the asparagus cream to the non-stick pan. Drain the pasta, retaining a little of the cooking water, transfer to the pan with the cream, add the prawns and mix to mix the ingredients well. If necessary, add a few tablespoons of cooking water kept aside.
Add the asparagus tips and a little lemon zest (optional).
Substitutions & Variations
- Pasta - we recommend opting for a long variety, such as spaghettini, linguine or fettuccine.
- Prawns - you can choose peeled and deveined prawns.
- Asparagus - asparagus can be replaced with green beans
- Spicy - adding chili pepper flakes is optional
Storage
The Asparagus Spaghetti with Prawns is best eaten immediately: If you have any leftovers, you can keep them in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container or covered with plastic wrap. They can be reheated in a pan over medium heat with a little extra olive oil.
Freezing is not recommended.
Expert tips
Don't forget to reserve some of the pasta cooking water. It contains starches that help the pasta create the sauce.
Do not remove the shell which will release its flavor and keep the prawn softer during cooking.
Use good quality prawns in this dish. I prefer using whole and raw prawns, when possible. I peel and devein them by myself, the texture is much better than the already peeled. If using frozen prawns thaw overnight and dry before cooking.
I always use a dry white wine for making prawn spaghetti.
Serve the pasta straight away!
Frequently asked question
I try to avoid frozen shrimp if I can, I find the texture of fresh prawns to be much better than the frozen ones. However, if that’s all you can find, absolutely use that.
Yes, you can use whatever you like. I suggest adding shrimp instead of prawn, it tastes similar
Yes, it’s a balanced meal. You can make it healthier using brown pasta.
This fresh pasta doesn't stand up well to freezing.
Yes, absolutely you can choose gluten-free pasta.
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Recipe
Asparagus Pasta with Prawns
Equipment
- vegetable peeler
Ingredients
- 350 gr Spaghetti
- 500 gr. green asparagus
- 12 shrimp tails with shell
- 1 shallot
- 1 clove of garlic peeled
- extra virgin olive oil
- 100 ml white wine
- zest of half a lemon
- chili pepper
- salt
Instructions
- Start by cleaning the asparagus: remove the white part, separate the stems from the tops and keep them aside.
- Peel the hardest part of the stems with a vegetable peeler and cut into rather thick slices. Chop the shallot and sauté it over low heat in a large non-stick pan with oil. Once ready, add the asparagus and cook for a few minutes or until tender, adding a few tablespoons of water, if necessary. Salt
- Pour the cooked asparagus into another narrow container and reduce to cream with an immersion mixer, adding a little pasta cooking water, until you get a cream.
- By making a delicate incision with a sharp knife on the back of the prawn, you can devein without removing the shell, which will release its flavor and keep the prawn softer while cooking.
- Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, then add the garlic, chili flakes and saute until golden brown. Pour the shrimp tails with the shell, and after a minute the wine that you will let it evaporate. Season with salt and turn off.
- Heat a little oil in the pan used for the asparagus and brown the asparagus tips for a few minutes. Season with salt.
- Meanwhile, cook the Spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water.
- Transfer the asparagus cream to the non-stick pan. Drain the pasta, retaining a little of the cooking water, transfer to the pan with the cream, add the prawns and mix to mix the ingredients well. If necessary, add a few tablespoons of cooking water kept aside.
- Add the asparagus tips a little lemon zest (optional) and serve.
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