Lemony Pasta With Asparagus and White Beans Recipe (2024)

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.

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.

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.

I added some sliced grape tomatoes, which I would repeat the next time. And be liberal with the pepper.

Great recipe, I make this all the time. But as others have mentioned, you must must must halve the amount of pasta. I’m not even trying to be healthy, it’s just way too much when you make it with the full amount.

Very good. My mistake: I started marinating the beans in the morning, thinking, "the more the better". Result: VERY sour beans!

I added the zest from an additional lemon as well. I also cut the amount of pasta in half, and added extra olive oil.This was great, My wife loved it.

I made this as a cold pasta salad. Cooked the pasta and chilled it. Blanched the asparagus and chilled. The rest was the same. As another poster said, the recipe definitely needs more lemon & zest as well as another cup of beans.

I made this yesterday and it was DELICIOUS however not having read the recipe properly I added the juice of the whole lemon to the bean mixture and because I was doing other things at the same time I let it marinate for several hours. A definite plus I think. I did add five fresh mint leaves to the parsley and found that really added a nice fresh flavour with the asparagus. Rather than adding another can of beans I just added less pasta and used Romano rather than Parmesan, personal preference.

I advise adding the bean mixture at the last minute—otherwise, the dish can become mushy.

I made this recipe as is - including the pound of pasta. My two bunches of asparagus were huge - two pounds, which is likely why the pasta wasn't overwhelming. But, if you were making with a smaller amount of asparagus, I could see where you might want to reduce the amount of pasta. This was excellent. All the flavors came through nicely - the shallot, the lemon, the garlic and the red pepper flakes. A nice melding, but nothing to overwhelm the dish. Excellent dish. Will make again!

I added the zest of another lemon at the end per another reviewer's suggestion. I also doubled the amount of lemon juice called for at the end. I'm not sure it would have been very lemony tasting without those additions. We thought this was super good! Wouldn't hurt to use 2 cans of beans, depending on the bean to pasta ratio you prefer. I'll make it again for sure.

Pretty good; lemony enough for me with one lemon as long as you let the beans soak it in. More like 45-60 minutes than 30 accounting for chopping/grinding/cleaning. I added thyme, which was good

I think this works better as a room-temperature pasta/salad dish, and its assembly is easier if you're not trying to cook everything together at the end. - Make bean marinade as directed.- Blanch asparagus (tough ends broken off), then plunge in iced water; once cool, cut into small pieces. - Cook pasta al-dente, then drain; simmer reserved 1/2 cup of pasta water with 2 sliced garlic cloves for 5 minutes. - Assemble all ingredients in a large bowl. Season and stir in the parmesan.

I doubled beans and added some poached chicken. It was really good.

Doubled beans, and a diced poached chicken breast.

I agree with Kristen about reducing the amount of pasta and adding a second can of beans instead. I used campanelle pasta and my own home-cooked white beans. I would also recommend placing the beans in the bowl first and adding the lemon zest and juice on top; otherwise, the zest clumps. Nevertheless, this recipe is classic Melissa Clark and was lovely, light, and refreshing on an early spring day with the first asparagus of the season: the lemon really makes this dish sing.

Delish with less pasta, more lemon, sprinkle of feta and mix in some basil with the parsley. Agree with the other comment about double cooking the asparagus- better to add at the end.

Toss with a bit of shredded prosciutto at the end to improve taste and color.

This was a big hit. I think I’d add more beans.

I use a soup ladle to transfer pasta water from the pot to the sauce. Quicker, safer, easier to control.

Really really really good! Didn’t change a thing. Didn’t have parsley. Didn’t matter?

Added toasted pinenuts for a little something extra

Increased lemon juice, garlic, and red pepper, and substituted collard greens for the asparagus. Delicious.

made it according the the directions. Was edible but wouldn't put it in my rotation. Tasted too beany.

This was alright, halved the amount of pasta which was the correct decision, wish I had had more lemon because the flavours weren't very bright, definitely could have done with more zest and more garlic. Not bad but nothing special.

I roasted asparagus and garlic but otherwise followed recipe. Did use less pasta than called for. Came together quickly. Nice vegetarian lunch.

Cut pasta to 8 oz. Easy & tasty.

Cut pasta to 8 oz. Easy & delicious!