Shrimp Asparagus Pasta
This Shrimp Asparagus Pasta will be your new favorite warm weather pasta combo! Not only is it good any time of year, but especially as it starts to warm up without heating up the kitchen. The Creamy Avocado Cilantro Sauce is light and creamy, which makes this a delicious combination with the shrimp, asparagus, artichokes, and sun-dried tomatoes. I love adding shrimp into pasta dishes too! It makes such a delicious dinner meal combo that is worthy of a magazine spread. Paired with the right flavor drinks you can’t go wrong.
Shrimp Asparagus Pasta with Creamy Avocado Cilantro Sauce
I’ve been cooking this pasta for years! It’s one of my favorites to make when I’m craving pasta because it’s super light but has a really satisfying taste too. The Creamy Avocado Cilantro Sauce uses a lot of simple ingredients and can easily be blended up in the food processor. Plus, the combination of sun dried tomatoes, artichokes and asparagus in this is so good!! With your vegetables mixed in I think you’ll want to add this to your menu too.
Now I know not everyone is a fan of cilantro spice. I get it! I could see how it could be a little weird. If you still want to make this pasta combo without the sauce, you totally can! I recommend using a pesto or trying out my Spinach Basil Hemp Seed Sauce.
What you need for Shrimp Asparagus Pasta:
- Pasta of choice (brown rice, chickpea, etc)
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Shrimp or Shrimp scampi (frozen or raw)
- Artichokes
- Asparagus
- Sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, red pepper flakes
Baked or Grilled Shrimp?
You can use either baked or grilled shrimp for this recipe depending on how much time you have to prepare the shrimp and how you like your shrimp to taste.
Can I use any pasta?
Yes! Any pasta of choice would work here, spaghetti, linguine pasta, penna, all of it. I love using chickpea pasta (I use this one a lot!) but whichever you prefer. I generally choose the chickpea pasta because it gives the dish an extra boost of protein. I’m always looking for ways to up the protein and this is a great one for that.
How do I reheat this pasta?
What I love about this pasta is that it makes for great leftovers! It’s also great either cold or warmed up. If you want to warm it up, I suggest just reheating in the microwave for a few minutes.
How to store this pasta:
You may have some leftovers from your meal, depending on how many you’re feeding! I like to store leftovers in the fridge in these containers.
What ingredients you need for Creamy Avocado Cilantro Sauce:
- Avocado
- Cilantro (fresh)
- Olive oil
- Plain greek yogurt (I used Fage 0%)
- Garlic clove
- Lemon
- Sea salt, pepper
The creamy avocado cilantro sauce can be used in a bunch of different ways. Here’s a few ways that I like to use it:
- on toast
- Topped on chicken or salmon
- as a pizza sauce
That way if you don’t use all of the sauce you can use it for other dinner meals and not waste any of this tasty dish.
Want to switch it up? Try these ways:
- If you don’t like cilantro or want to make this recipe Dairy Free, try making this with pesto or my Spinach Basil Hemp Seed Sauce.
- Use any pasta that you like! I’ve used brown rice pasta, lentil and chickpea pasta in this dish.
What I used to make this pasta:
These are two products that I use ALL the time in my kitchen! They are a perfect addition to your kitchen staples.
If you like this recipe, you may also enjoy these on One Balanced Life:
Shrimp Recipes on the Blog:
Shrimp Rice Bowls with Spicy Mayo
Shrimp Asparagus Pasta with Creamy Avocado Cilantro Sauce
A refreshing, light pasta dish!
Ingredients
- 1 package (8-10oz) of desired gluten free, whole grain, or chickpea pasta
- 1/2 lb of shrimp (9-12 shrimp)
- 1 cup sundried tomatoes
- 1 cup chopped asparagus (use desired amount)
- 1/2 cup chopped artichokes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- Sea salt, pepper to taste
- For the sauce: 1/2 avocado, 1/2 c. cilantro (stems & all), 1/4 cup plain greek or regular yogurt, 1/4 c. olive oil, 1 garlic clove, 1/2 lemon (juiced), 3-4 tbsp water (add more for desired consistency), salt & pepper
- Optional: grated parmesan
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package. set aside
- Saute shrimp in a tbsp of olive oil, garlic powder & salt/pepper. Cook until shrimp are completely cooked through.
- Remove and add in asparagus to saute.
- Add all the sauce ingredients to the food processor and blend. Set aside.
- Once asparagus has finished sautéing, turn heat to low and add in pasta, shrimp, artichokes and sauce. Mix together!
- Top with red pepper flakes and grated parmesan.
