I was looking for a recipe to use my freshly cut asparagus from my garden when I came upon a recipe from one of my favorite food blogs. It reminded me of spring and so I tweaked it to my liking. This recipe includes three of my favorites: pasta, cheese, and lemon.

It was delicious, inexpensive, and fast to make on a week night. Another reason I like this easy dinner recipe so much is because it’s versatile. You can add different in season  veggies like peas, green beans, or even chicken to make it more hearty. I added chicken that needed to be used. This pasta recipe can also be serve with warm bread and a small soup, if you’re really hungry.

Ingredients

1 pound whole wheat rotelle pasta
1 pound slender asparagus spears, trimmed, cut into 1- inch pieces (or seasonal veggie)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
1 5-ounce log soft fresh goat cheese
Fresh lemon juice to taste

Directions

1. Cook your pasta in a large pot of well-salted water until it is almost tender.
2. Add asparagus and cook until firm-tender.
3. Drain both the pasta and asparagus together. Don’t forget to save a cup of pasta water.
4. Combine olive oil, lemon zest, tarragon and goat cheese (the pre-crumbled cheese does not melt as well) in a large bowl. Crumble the cheese as you add it.
5. Toss in the hot pasta and asparagus and a couple tablespoons of the pasta water.
6. Mix the ingredients until smoothly combined, adding more pasta water if needed.
7. Season with salt and pepper, and add a couple drops of lemon juice for more flavor.

Serves 6.