Spring Asparagus and Lemon Fettuccine

Ingredients:
-1/2 pound uncooked fettuccine
-2 tsp salted butter
-2 tsp olive oil
-1 pound uncooked asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
-1/2 tsp table salt
-1/4 tsp black pepper
-1 large egg
-1 cup fat-free half-and-half
-1 tsp cornstarch, mixed with 1 tablespoon water
-1/4 cup parsley, fresh, chopped
-2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
-1 Tbsp lemon zest
-2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Cook the pasta like you normally would (I like mine in a pot of salted water).

In a skillet start melting the butter. Then add the olive oil.

Make sure your skillet is large enough because it will eventually hold all of the ingredients including the pasta and asparagus.

Add the asparagus and cook for about five minutes until the asparagus is tender.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

The next few steps complete the dish, but they also need to happen quickly so make sure all measured out ingredients are on hand.

The recipe calls for the asparagus to be removed from the pan, but I just left mine in the skillet.

Combine the egg and half & half in a bowl. Whisk.
Cream can be substituted for the half & half; I used in cream in this recipe.

The egg/cream mixture goes in the skillet. Followed by the cornstarch/water mixture. Stir until thickened like a sauce.

Removed from the stove and add the asparagus (if you removed it) and the pasta. Stir until everything is coated with sauce.

Add the lemon zest & juice as well as the parmesean cheese. Rather than adding 1/4 cup of fresh parsley, I just added a shake of dried parsley. Give the dish one more stir to combine the last ingredients and then serve.

If there was asparagus and pasta in the same bite this dish was really good. However, the sauce paired with just the pasta was bland. If I made this dish again I would either add more asparagus or add more lemon juice to the sauce to give it more flavor.

This recipe also came from Weight Watchers and I paired it with the Broccoli with Lemon-Garlic Crumbs in the previous post.