Broccoli Asparagus Pasta

Name: Broccoli Asparagus Pasta
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 2 cups broccoli (diced, or broccolini); 1 cup asparagus (woody ends removed, diced into 1 inch pieces); small handful kale (shredded); 1 small white onion (diced); 3 garlic cloves (minced or finely diced); 1/2 cup coriander (and/or parsley); 6 ounces spaghetti (or other pasta); 1/2 cup non-dairy milk; 2 tsp apple cider vinegar (optional); pinch salt; pinch black pepper (optional)

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This broccoli asparagus pasta combines delicious seasonal produce to make a fun spring pasta meal! It's a flavorful dairy free weeknight meal that comes together so easily in about 30 minutes.

broccoli asparagus pasta in a brown rimmed bowl with forks next to it on a white cloth.

I'm always excited when broccoli and asparagus come into stores during the spring months as they are full of flavor and so versatile. As well as this recipe, these spring veggies cook up as a delicious asparagus broccoli soup too!

To give this asparagus broccoli pasta a more creamy green sauce, we blend up the veggies with non-dairy milk and adding fresh herbs gives it a fragrant flavor too!

Love asparagus? Do check out my tasty asparagus and potato soup and roasted asparagus and Brussels sprouts recipe!

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🥦 Ingredients
📖 Swap and Variations
🔪 How to Make Asparagus Broccoli Pasta
💭 Recipe Tips and Notes
📋 Frequently Asked Questions
🍝 More Pasta Recipes
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

🥦 Ingredients

All the ingredients and their quantities are set out in the recipe card below.

Some notes on a few of them:

Spaghetti - I like spaghetti for this recipe, as it almost feels like a 'green bolognese'. I mean not really, but you know what I mean?! Any kind of pasta should work well though, so use the type that you have to hand.
Broccoli - you can use regular broccoli, or as I often use, broccolini for this recipe.
Asparagus - always in stores during the spring season, we remove the woody ends before using for the pasta sauce.
Kale - optional, and you could also use kalettes.
Coriander / cilantro - I know this is a 'love it or hate' it kind of herb. So use if you are the former, or swap out for basil if the latter!
Garlic - this is one of the 'bigger' flavors in this fairly subtle sauce, so increase the quantity to preference. The sauce can handle a few more cloves if you are a lover of garlic!

📖 Swap and Variations

Swap the pasta. Linguine of fettucine are also good, or you can opt for a smaller pasta such as penne, fusilli or rigatoni.

Add more herbs. Both asparagus and broccoli are quite subtle in terms of flavor and personally I love this aspect of the sauce. For those who like a bigger punchy taste though, I would suggest adding more garlic and/or herbs.

🔪 How to Make Asparagus Broccoli Pasta

This spring pasta with broccoli and asparagus has a few steps, but all are easy to do. I suggest prepping the vegetables and herbs just before you start to cook to make it quick and easy!

numbered process shots for making broccoli asparagus pasta.

Step 1

Prepare the asparagus by holding the spears at each end and bending until they snap. Keep the end with the flower, and discard the more woody fibrous end.

Step 2

Cook the spaghetti (or pasta you are using) in salted water according to package instructions until just al dente.

Step 3

While the pasta is cooking, cook the onion and garlic in a pan in olive oil for 3-4 minutes. Add the broccoli, asparagus and kale and cook for a further 5-6 minutes until fork tender but so that the asparagus still has a 'bite' to it.

Step 4

Add half the broccoli mixture to a blender or food processor along with the non-dairy milk, herbs, apple cider vinegar (if using), salt and black pepper. Blend to a thick green sauce.

Recipe tip: stir the vegetable mixture fairly frequently, and have on a lower heat initially, to ensure the garlic doesn't burn.

cooked pasta with green sauce on it being stirred with tongs.

Step 5

Transfer the pasta to your pan, but keep the pasta water. Pour the broccoli sauce into the pan.

Step 6

Use tongs to stir the sauce and combine into the pasta. If the pasta seems too dry add a spoonful of the pasta water to the pan, a spoon at a time, to loosen the sauce to the consistency you prefer.

💭 Recipe Tips and Notes

Keep the heat fairly low when initially cooking the onion and garlic to help prevent the garlic from burning.
Add more herbs and garlic for a 'bigger' taste. This recipe is quite subtle and more about the flavor of the broccoli and asparagus.
If the sauce feels too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water a spoonful at a time to the consistency of preference.
A good drizzle of olive oil to serve is lovely.

📋 Frequently Asked Questions

How to prep asparagus to make a pasta sauce?

It's easy to prep asparagus by holding each asparagus spear at either end, bending and then letting it snap. Keep the end with the flower and discard the woody end.

Can I freeze this asparagus broccoli pasta?

I don't suggest to freeze this recipe as pasta doesn't tend to freeze, thaw or reheat too well as the texture changes.

broccoli asparagus pasta in a bowl with a brown rim with a jar of olive oil and garlic next to it.

🍝 More Pasta Recipes

You'll find lots of comfort food ideas on the pasta recipes page, including my kale pasta recipe and my broccoli pesto pasta, and some recent tasty recipes to try out:

I’m always in the kitchen, so come join me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to be the first to hear of new recipes! And please do leave a star rating ⭐ if you've tried the recipe!

📖 Recipe