Spring Vegetable Pasta

This vegan spring vegetable pasta is loaded with seasonal produce like leeks, asparagus and peas with a lemony white wine sauce and herbed breadcrumbs for topping. It's so delicious, easy to make gluten free and takes less than 30 minutes to make!

Why we love this recipe

• Quick and easy weeknight meal: this spring vegetable pasta may look fancy, but it's ready in less than 30 minutes with minimal prep time.
• Makes great use of spring produce: including leeks, peas, asparagus, mushrooms, dill, oregano and garlic. Perfect recipe to make after getting a CSA delivery!
• Packed with flavor: with an array of fresh, peak season vegetables and a sharp, acidic, buttery white wine and lemon sauce, this spring vegetable pasta isn't short on flavor!
• Vegan and gluten free adaptable: this recipe is fully vegan and easy to make GF by using pasta that doesn't contain gluten. Perfect for just about any dietary needs!

Ingredients

Here are the key ingredients you'll need to make this vegan spring vegetable pasta:

Ingredient Notes

• Leeks: for this pasta, you'll only be using the white and light green part of the leek. The dark green part is very tough and slightly bitter, so it's not great for pasta. You can, however, save it and use in homemade vegetable broth.
• Peas: you should be able to find fresh shelled English peas at most groceries at this time of year, but if you can't, frozen are perfectly fine. (Or, if you're feeling really ambitious you can shell your own peas!)
• Mushrooms: we used shiitake in this recipe, which tend to have a meatier, richer flavor and texture. Feel free to sub with another variety like cremini or another type of wild mushroom.
• Asparagus: to properly prep asparagus for cooking, snap off the bottom inch or so of the pale woody stem. You only want to use the tender green part.
• Pasta: we prefer using linguine or fettuccine, which clings well to the sauce, but you can also use a smaller pasta variety like farfalle. We used gluten free here and it worked great.
• Fresh herbs: fresh dill & oregano add a TON of flavor to this pasta, so we don't suggest subbing them with dry. However, if you do need to use dry, use 1 teaspoon each of dried dill & oregano.
• White wine: use a dry white wine for the sauce, like a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. Don't leave it out – the alcohol cooks out, but it adds much-needed acidity and richness.

Step-by-step instructions

Prep: Cook 6oz pasta in salted water according to package directions. We typically add a heaping teaspoon of salt to our pasta water. Don't worry, most of it goes down the drain, but it's the best way to season the pasta properly!

(1) Heat 1 ½ tablespoon vegan butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 cups diced leeks and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring often, until softened. Add 2 cloves minced garlic and continue cooking for 2 minutes.

(2) Add 6 oz sliced mushrooms and continue cooking for a minute or two.

(3) Add 2 cups asparagus, 1 cup peas, 1 ½ tablespoon dill, 1 ½ tablespoon oregano, 2 teaspoon lemon zest, and ½ teaspoon of salt and continue cooking for 5-6 minutes.  

(4) Stir in the remaining 1 ½ tablespoon of butter, ½ cup broth, ⅓ cup white wine, 2 teaspoon lemon juice, remaining ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes. Let cook for 6-8 minutes, until the sauce reduces. 

(5) In a small bowl, stir together ⅓ cup breadcrumbs, 1 ½ tablespoon parsley and 1 tablespoon melted butter. 

(6) Add in the cooked pasta and toss well to coat in sauce and vegetables.

Plate and serve with pine nuts and breadcrumbs.

Expert Tips & FAQs

• Breadcrumb topping: the crispy, buttery breadcrumb topping is technically optional, but highly encouraged! It's the perfect finishing touch to this spring vegetable pasta.
  • If preferred, you can briefly toast the breadcrumbs in a skillet over medium-low heat until golden brown. This adds a bit more flavor, but it tastes great either way.
• Additions: if you'd like to, feel free to load up this pasta with even more fresh vegetables, like broccoli/broccolini, zucchini and sweet corn. Kale or spinach would also be a great addition. You can also sub or add more fresh herbs, like basil or tarragon.
• Storage: store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours. Reheat in the microwave in 45-60 second intervals, stirring well, until warmed.

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