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    Home » Recipes » entrees

    Asparagus pasta with peas and caramelized onion sauce

    Mar 11, 20199 Comments As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases

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    asparagus pasta

    Delicious Spring asparagus pasta recipe with peas and caramelized onion sauce! Easy to prepare, and loaded with rich flavor.

    asparagus pasta with peas

    This asparagus pasta post was originally published in March 2015 and updated June 2019.

    Hello, Rhubarbarians! And helloooooo amazing spring pasta dishes!

    This pasta is one of my faves. It's super flavorful thanks to amazingly rich caramelized onions. The onions are used as the sauce for this pasta with asparagus and peas. OMG SO DELICIOUS!

    Although asparagus is my favorite spring veggie, there are only a few asparagus recipes on the blog. I usually keep things simple and just roast asparagus with some olive oil and s&p. It gets gobbled up so quickly! But, sometimes I get fancy and make a WOW dish.

    Hint hint nudge nudge: this asparagus soup is my all-time favorite spring soup!

    asparagus and peas

    How to make caramelized onion pasta sauce

    Let's be real: the real star of this dish is the caramelized onion sauce! It's just so rich and flavorful, but not heavy at all. I use this same sauce regularly. This cheese tortellini with onion sauce is a fave!

    The sauce does take quite a while to make, but is really simple and mostly hands off. Here's how:

    • Start by sautéing the onions in some butter, olive oil, and a bit of sugar. I recommend using a cast iron skillet for this. When they start to turn brown, reduce the heat to low.
    • Caramelize those onions! Slowly cook them, stirring occasionally until they are a caramel color and are nice and jammy.
    • After adding the veggies and the cheese, a bit of sherry cooking wine finishes off the sauce.

    How to make pasta with asparagus and peas

    Let's combine that sauce with the veggies!

    • When the onions are caramelized, add the trimmed asparagus and cook until al-dente.
    • Add the peas and the sherry cooking wine, then add the cooked pasta directly to the pan with the onions and veggies.
    • Stir in all the cheese and season with some salt and pepper.

    Have you tried pasta with our amazing green olive pasta sauce yet?

    parmesan on spring pasta

    Asparagus pasta with peas and caramelized onion sauce recipe

    asparagus pasta with peas

    Asparagus pasta with peas and caramelized onion sauce

    Trish Bozeman
    Delicious Spring asparagus pasta recipe with peas and caramelized onion sauce! Easy to prepare, and loaded with rich flavor.
    5 from 9 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 1 hr 15 mins
    Total Time 1 hr 20 mins
    Course Main Course, pasta
    Cuisine American, Italian
    Servings 6 servings
    Calories 498 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 6 tablespoon salted butter
    • 4 tablespoon olive oil
    • 3 large sweet yellow onions, sliced peeled and cut into ¼"
    • 1 tablespoon sugar
    • 1 lb thin fresh asparagus tough ends removed
    • 10 oz fresh English peas
    • ⅓ cup sherry cooking wine
    • 10 oz fresh egg pasta noodles like fettuccine or linguine
    • ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese* plus more for serving
    • Salt and pepper

    Instructions
     

    • Heat butter and oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sugar and stir to combine. Cook for about 5 minutes, until onions are just starting to brown. Give a good stir and reduce heat to medium low. Continue to cook until onions are brown and caramelized, about an hour, stirring every 10 minutes. Be patient here! You want those onions to be brown and rich with flavor!*
    • Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions, and prepare your vegetables and grate your cheese.
    • When onions are caramelized, stir in the asparagus and cook until al dente, about 5 minutes.
    • Add the peas and the sherry, and cook for another 2 minutes, then toss in the cooked pasta. When well combined, add cheese and toss until cheese is melted and pasta is well coated with onion sauce.
    • Season well with salt and pepper.
    • Serve with extra freshly grated parmesan cheese

    Notes

    *Be sure to choose vegetarian parmesan if you are a vegetarian

    Nutrition

    Calories: 498kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 15gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 239mgPotassium: 503mgFiber: 7gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 1360IUVitamin C: 28.7mgCalcium: 153mgIron: 3.2mg
    Keyword vegetarian
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    *If you need help determining when your onions are fully caramelized, watch this video, but do not remove the excess liquid. This is the sauce!

    If you make this recipe, please let me know on social media or in the comments below! Leave a star rating in your comment or tag me on Instagram with #Rhubarbarians.

    Thank you so much for reading and supporting Rhubarbarians and the brands that I recommend. If you’re looking for a group of people cooking vegetarian recipes through the seasons, join us on Facebook in our vegetarian and vegan recipes group!

    Hope you try out this beautiful pasta dish! ❤️

    Trish

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Allison

      April 17, 2022 at 7:09 pm

      5 stars
      This was perfect. I’d actually never caramelized onions before, but this was such a simple, lovely recipe. I made it last-minute for Easter dinner with my in-laws and everyone loved it (traditionally a pretty tough crowd 😂). This would be great for a weeknight if you have a little time to hang out stirring the onions, but it felt special enough for a holiday too.

      Reply
    2. Donna

      September 25, 2019 at 3:17 am

      5 stars
      I am in for anything caramelized onion....and this sauce did not disappoint. Such gorgeous flavours.

      Reply
    3. Dana

      September 24, 2019 at 12:40 pm

      5 stars
      What a great way to use up the last of the spring and summer bounty! Asparagus and peas are so awesome with pasta. I've never brought caramelized onions to the mix before, though. Killer idea!

      Reply
    4. Jenni LeBaron

      September 23, 2019 at 8:25 am

      5 stars
      This Asparagus pasta with peas and caramelized onion sauce sounds lovely. What a great way to take advantage of some lovely green veggies in such a hearty and flavorful way. I could serve this and even my meat and potatoes fella and I don't think he'd even realize I was omitting meat for the evening because this dish has so much flavor!

      Reply
    5. Melissa

      September 21, 2019 at 12:50 pm

      5 stars
      I love asparagus with pasta! And caramelized onions are so good! They are so worth the wait. This would definitely be a hit at our house!

      Reply
    6. Lisa

      September 20, 2019 at 12:06 pm

      5 stars
      What a glorious pasta dish! I completely agree with you on the caramelized onions -- they have such a wonderful, sweet yet complex flavor, I can see how they would go perfectly with the asparagus and peas. The sherry is a really nice addition. This is comfort food at its finest!

      Reply
    7. Gloria

      September 18, 2019 at 12:50 pm

      5 stars
      I don't think the photos are that bad. We all had to start somewhere. I totally get it though. I look at some of mine too and laugh. This pasta looks like the perfect weeknight dinner. Easy to make. Leftovers would be great for lunch.

      Reply
    8. Matt @ Plating Pixels

      June 08, 2015 at 7:53 pm

      5 stars
      I love caramelized onions and asparagus. And oh my! Those photos are beautiful! The light is bathing it perfectly, plus skillets always look good

      Reply
      • Patricia Bozeman

        June 09, 2015 at 9:29 am

        Wow thank you Matt! You just made my day! (and my cheeks blush.) 🙂

        Reply

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