By Melissa Clark
Updated Oct. 11, 2023
- Total Time
- 25 minutes
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 10 minutes
- Rating
- 4(843)
- Notes
- Read community notes
A sauce of tangy feta and Greek yogurt (inspired by a recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi) anchors the components of this creamy, vegetable-filled pasta, and the combination of asparagus and peas makes it especially colorful and perfect for spring. Although the textures are at their most supple when served hot or warm, this dish also works well at room temperature, served as a pasta salad.
Featured in: Asparagus Season Is Here. Make It Count With These 3 Stellar Recipes.
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Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings
- 8tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 2cups plain Greek yogurt
- 1cup frozen green peas, thawed
- 7garlic cloves (3 finely grated or minced, 4 thinly sliced)
- 1teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal), plus more as needed
- 1pound short pasta, such as campanelle, shells, fusilli or orecchiette
- ½teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more to taste
- 1bunch asparagus (about 1 pound), trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
- 8ounces feta, crumbled into large chunks
- Juice of ½ lemon, plus more to taste
- ¼cup mint leaves, torn
- 3scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
669 calories; 33 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 70 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 26 grams protein; 800 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
See AlsoRoasted Zucchini Pasta Salad RecipeSpicy Chorizo Pasta Recipe14 Masterful Pasta RecipesBaked Mostaccioli recipe ~ ricotta + meat sauce ~ A Gouda Life1
In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine 5 tablespoons olive oil, the yogurt, ⅔ cup peas, the grated garlic and 1 teaspoon salt. Pulse until the sauce is no longer chunky, scraping the sides with a rubber spatula. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
Step
2
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente according to the package directions. Drain.
Step
3
While the pasta is boiling, add the sliced garlic to a large skillet, along with the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, ¼ teaspoon red-pepper flakes and a big pinch of salt, and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic turns golden at the edges, 2 to 5 minutes.
Step
4
Add the asparagus and remaining ⅓ cup peas to the skillet and sauté until just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. If the pan looks dry, add a tablespoon or two of water.
Step
5
After draining, add the warm pasta to the yogurt mixture in batches, stirring in between, so the sauce doesn’t curdle. Stir in the asparagus mixture, feta, remaining ¼ teaspoon red-pepper flakes and the lemon juice. Taste and add more salt, red-pepper flakes, or lemon juice if needed. Drizzle with olive oil, garnish with mint leaves and scallions, and serve warm.
Ratings
4
out of 5
843
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Cooking Notes
SP
Made this as directed - except, that the 3 cloves of garlic in the yogurt mixture made it so overwhelmingly garlicky that I left out the garlic in the asparagus mixture. Also, thought the use of salt was a bit heavy handed. Otherwise, Very tasty.
Maureen in Oakland
Delicious spring dish! I had everything but the scallions on hand. Omitted those but not sure I missed them. Will definitely make again. Especially loved the easy yogurt pea sauce.
Jennifer D
This was delicious! I would maybe cut back a bit on the grated garlic. But I loved the ease of this dish. A great addition to my spring asparagus line-up.
Suzinsf
Actually, in my experience, no. Or not completely, anyway. When I've been lazy and added whole garlic cloves to my standard sized (14 cup) food processor (my mini one is what I used when chopping garlic and ginger and herbs and such), I ineveitably find unevely sized chunks of garlic (or ginger for that matter) in my end product. To prevent that, at the very least I smash it and do a rough chop on it so there's a better chance it will all come out at the desired size in the finished product.
Lynn in Mpls
I just made this as written and thought it was a little heavy on the sauce. Next time I would stir the sauce into the pasta instead of the pasta into the sauce. That way, one can control how much sauce is used. Also, the garlic is the dominant flavor. I would dial that back a bit as others have suggested. I think I would also cut the asparagus in bigger pieces because they seemed to get lost in the dish.
Richard
Most Cooking commenters insist that all recipes "need" more garlic... double or triple the amount. I find it refreshing to read a comment that recommends less garlic.
Helen Cz
Nice use of asparagus, peas & mint!. I subbed 1/2 the yogurt for a combo of mayo & 1/2 & 1/2 (use some H2O if calories are a concern). Some sesame nuts on top. Like it!
Topher
excellent bright flavored dish! I'm not a frozen pea fan so substitued edamame.
VS
Good dish. But I actually found this to be too feta-forward (and I used much less than what was called for). I felt like it masked the other flavors. Next time, I might omit it altogether.
Richard
In that case, someone would be asking for more precise measurements. As written, it's not rocket science.
Spencer
Not that good and really expensive for a pasta dish
Victoria in Toronto
We really enjoyed this dish last night. A bright reminder of spring on the shortest day of the year!
michelle
This is heavy on the sauce so I added a tbsp of breadcrumbs at the end to give it a bit more crunch. It was good and a nice way to use up some frozen peas on a quick meal but I wouldn't make it again.
Natalie
If you’re not already a Greek yogurt lover then this recipe will not change your mind. I’d only recommend it to people who love that tangy flavor
Sarah
Wonderful dish! Made just as directed. Next time I won’t add the extra 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes as it was a bit spicy for m e.
Abedelia
Love this one so much but agree to cut back on the grated garlic by half. We added diced zucchini to the asparagus + peas which made it more balanced veggie wise. Super yummy and came together realistically jn 30-40 mins.
Kirinrebecca
Halve the garlic at least. Salt too.
Louise
I didn't have peas, so I used fresh corn! It turned out great!
Katie M
Agreed-Only use 1 garlic clove in the sauce- otherwise it is like spicy with garlic! & I’m a garlic lover. Otherwise it got a thumbs up at my house, especially after we added some sumac and dill with the mint.
PatU
Make slightly more than half the sauce. Double at least the peas. Cut back slightly on garlic.
Hadley
Delicious and relatively easy to make! I use all the peas in the bag and just blend the extras into the yogurt.
Karen
Made it as written except for less garlic. When hot it seemed bland, but the next day cold for lunch the flavors really popped. The red pepper flakes came alive overnight.
John
This was good, but, I agree, way too much raw garlic. Would probably cut by 2/3. I use brussels sprouts instead of asparagus, and they were good.
Tonja E.
I thought this was good, not great. Then realized I had forgotten the mint. The mint makes it! Now I rate it as "pretty good". Still needs more seasoning in the sauce. Had to add Maldon's when serving. Pretty good, not great.
Erica
We loved this. But I forgot to add the 5(!!) T olive oil to the yogurt, pea, and garlic mixture, and it was absolutely delicious without. I recommend leaving it out.
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