Creamy Asparagus Pasta Recipe (2024)

A few notes on seaweed to make it easier to find. Roasted gim (Korean name) and nori (Japanese name) are the same, but nori is generally easier to find in supermarkets. Approximately 95% of seaweed eaten in the US is imported from Asia (predominately China), but there is very good Kombu that is grown in Maine that is found in supermarkets and online - Ocean's Balance and Maine Coast Sea Vegetables are a couple of companies that harvest different seaweeds from the Gulf of Maine.

I would suggest subbing almond milk, cashew cream or full fat coconut milk or cream for the dairy cream.

You can buy already perfectly thinly sliced seaweed for topping in Asian grocery stores. Look for "kizami nori." Much cleaner and faster, and for me, worth it to have lots on hand. I toss it on a lot of wafu pasta.

Cashew cream works, especially if you make it more liquidy. Soaking the cashews in warm water for at two hours works well.

I can't speak for Korea, but in Japan, the noodles in wafu pasta I ate was the same as the pasta I eat in the U.S. This is a fusion dish, so there's no "pure" flavor here -- just a mashup of two cuisines. Feel free to use your favorite pasta + shape (I think penne is a better match for asparagus than rigatoni, so that's what I'll use)!

Made this tonight following the recipe except for lack of kelp. (Subbed an additional piece of roasted seaweed in its place Plus a spare oil packed anchovy I had in the fridge for a little hint of the sea). Was surprisingly delicious. Definitely cut the roasted seaweed very very thin. And when adding it to the pasta, distribute it lightly and evenly. It will clump up otherwise.

First bite: two stars.Added a teaspoon of gochuchang per plate.Second bite: five stars.

Made as directed. Light, spring-y, and very quick to come together. Next time, I’ll sautée the onion and garlic first.

A few notes on seaweed to make it easier to find. Roasted gim (Korean name) and nori (Japanese name) are the same, but nori is generally easier to find in supermarkets. Approximately 95% of seaweed eaten in the US is imported from Asia (predominately China), but there is very good Kombu that is grown in Maine that is found in supermarkets and online - Ocean's Balance and Maine Coast Sea Vegetables are a couple of companies that harvest different seaweeds from the Gulf of Maine.Add gochujang

There is no real substitute for cream, but a drizzle of EVOO will provide the same unctuousness. The standard Italian herbs, fresh or dried - oregano, basil, parsley - will complement the dish without clashing with the other ingredients.

I cut the asparagus in 1 cm lengths and found that it needed more time to not taste raw, probably about 3-4 minutes.

Got Sam’s email with this and had it cooked within an hour. It was delicious. Subbed a shallot as I didn’t have a red onion but otherwise followed to a T. Beautiful spring pasta that sings of spring.

Don’t hate me but I did not have the seaweed or kelp but I had furikake I added at the end and a a really good white miso which I added to the cream. It was very good. I found additional black pepper and more rice vinegar added some needed brightness.

This is the most amazing and unique thing I have made in a long time. I usually only use the recipe as a guide, but I followed this one perfectly. Soooo good. I was inspired by other comments and added a dash of crushed red pepper flakes and truffle salt at the end. I can't stop eating it. I want it every day. So easy, so satisfying, and so good.

This looks amazing but any idea for how to make this dairy free?

Blah. Far too much cream for such little flavor.

I made this a couple years ago, and still think about it. I originally made it because it looked novel, but it turned out better than expected. The flavor of the kombu, asparagus, and heavy cream together was rich and savory. The only difference in my version is that I didn't have red onion at the time, so that may have allowed the other flavors shine more as a result.

With the healthy lean into kefir, are talented chefs figuring ways to sub it in for creme when it’s flavor can fit?

I just made this.. and it was quite awful. It tasted like pasta cooked in milk.

Thank goodness for the gojuchang tip. I also added a chopped fresh tomato. It was still a festival of blandness; probably the cook’s fault.

This lands itself perfectly to substitutions, as long as the base recipe and method are kept in place. I used leek tops (which normally end up in the bin) instead of onions and ground seaweed with some walnuts (no time to thinly cut it lol). Served with rocket salad on the side. Lovely green pasta!

Had a bumper crop of snap peas from my garden so used in place of asparagus. Made the dish a little sweeter but still delicious. Followed other suggestions to saute onions and garlic first and to add gouchjang. A great spring dish. Will try with asparagus next time, and there will be a next time.

great recipe, quick to make. I would suggest adding a pd of butter to the sauce to keep it smooth and glossy. I’ve also made this using gochujang added since I love spice and it was phenomenal. Use more salt than you think when tasting and seasoning your sauce

This is honestly incredible. I added instant dashi to the pasta water along with the kombu in times I’ve made it since, but it’s great as written. Make sure to slice those onions paper thin if you can. As someone who loves all things spicy, gochujang or anything spicy really don’t belong in this dish. Like at all. Completely takes away from the uniqueness of this recipe. I wouldn’t listen to those notes.

Used zucchini instead of asparagus. Turned out well.

This is a wonderful blend of flavors. I've made this a few times, and noticed some things: (1) I prefer penne to rigatoni because the penne is nearly the same size as the asparagus and so it seems to look prettier together. (2) This dish can be made without the kombu - the flavor is less "of the sea", but I find that good parmesan grated over the top brings the umami up to the same level. (3) Reserve more than 1 cup of the pasta water - more often than not, I need a little more at the end.

This was not to my liking. First, my spouse was gagging from the smell. But it just did not come together for either of us. I thank the autho for introducing us to gim which I think will be very useful in other recipes

Made this and it was delicious! Took advice from other commenters and boiled the pasta a bit longer, added red pepper flakes, doubled the rice vinegar, and added tail-on shrimp.

Didn’t enjoy this at all. Very bland, even after adding lots of extra pepper and salt. Waste of pasta and cream.

I had crimini mushrooms that needed to be put to use, so I sweated them in a separate pan and added them with the cream and onion. I also let the asparagus steam for about 4 minutes rather than the 1 minute in the recipe. Other than that, followed the recipe. Delicious. Whole family loved it!