This pasta gremolata is made with linguine dressed in a zesty mix of fresh parsley, garlic, lemon and olive oil. It's incredibly easy to make and bursting with bright, vibrant flavor!
Gremolata is such a simple Italian condiment, but it's so amazingly delicious! Gremolata is just a mixture of parsley, garlic, and lemon zest, but for having just a few ingredients it packs a mighty flavor punch.
It's one of those sauces that can be used on just about anything, kind of like pesto, but I don't often see it as an accompaniment for pasta. I decided that needed to change!
Because gremolata goes so well with veggies, I added some asparagus to my pasta gremolata, along with a bit of olive oil and lemon juice. The dish comes together incredibly easily, and is perfect for everything from entertaining company to busy weeknights.
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Dried pasta. I'm using linguine, but really any pasta shape will do.
- Parsley. Go for flat leaf parsley! It's the variety that's traditionally used in gremolata, and it generally has more flavor than curly parsley.
- Garlic.
- Lemon juice. Definitely use freshly squeezed lemon juice for this recipe! Bottled just doesn't taste as good.
- Lemon zest. See? You need to buy a lemon for the zest anyway, so you have no excuse for using bottled juice.
- Olive oil.
- Salt.
- Asparagus.
- Black pepper.
- Red pepper flakes. These will give your pasta a little kick. Leave them out if you're not into that.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Start cooking your pasta while you do your prep work. Just cook it to al dente, meaning it should be slightly undercooked. Drain it into a colander when it's done cooking, and make sure to save some of your pasta water. It'll come in handy later!
The first thing you need to do to make your gremolata sauce is finely chop your parsley. You'll be using a whole bunch of parsley, but by the time you're done chopping it will be down to about a half cup.
Place your finely chopped parsley into a bowl, then stir in minced garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, and some salt. You can give your gremolata sauce a taste now if you'd like — it should be delicious!
Heat some olive oil in a large skillet, then add chopped fresh asparagus. Sauté the asparagus for a few minutes, until it softens a bit and becomes bright green.
Add your cooked pasta to the skillet along with a splash of that pasta cooking water that you saved. Toss everything to heat and combine the ingredients.
Tip: Make sure to trim the tough ends off of your asparagus spears. Biting into those stringy pieces is not fun! If you need guidance, read my article on how to trim asparagus.
Take the skillet off of heat and add your gremolata sauce. Use tongs or a fork to toss everything and coat the pasta and asparagus in the gremolata sauce.
Finally, give your pasta gremolata a taste-test. Add more salt if needed, along with some black pepper and optionally some red pepper flakes to spice things up!
Your pasta is ready to serve! You can give each bowl a sprinkle with some vegan Parmesan cheese if you'd like, but it's by no means required.
Tip: If you'd like to add some protein to this dish, try topping it with my savory lemon & herb baked tofu.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover pasta gremolata will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about three days. It can be reheated in a skillet on the stove or in a the microwave. Either way, you'll probably want to add a bit of water, as the pasta will tend to dry out in storage.
More Pasta Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Pasta Gremolata with Asparagus
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dried linguine pasta
- 1 large bunch flat leaf parsley
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1 pound fresh asparagus spears, trimmed, then cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces
- Black pepper, to taste
- Red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook it according to the package directions, until al dente. Reserve about a half cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain pasta into a colander when done. You can proceed to the next step of preparing the sauce while the pasta cooks.
- Finely chop the parsley, removing any large bits of stems. You should have about a half cup of chopped parsley when you're done chopping.
- Place the chopped parsley into a bowl, then add the garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and the salt. Stir the ingredients to combine them.
- Coat the bottom of a large skillet with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and place it over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the asparagus. Cook the asparagus pieces for 3 to 4 minutes, until they become tender-crisp and begin to brighten in color.
- Add the pasta to the skillet, along with a few splashes of the pasta cooking water — just enough to lubricate the pasta. Toss the pasta and asparagus to combine, and cook the mixture for a minute or two, just to reheat the pasta.
- Remove the skillet from heat and add the gremolata sauce. Toss everything to coat the pasta and asparagus with the sauce. Season the mixture with additional salt to taste, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, if desired.
- Serve.
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