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Creamy Green Pasta with Lamb & Asparagus
recipe
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Washington D.C.
Creamy Green Pasta with Lamb & Asparagus
Becca Jacobs
Becca Jacobs
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$1.00
This vibrant green pasta is an ode to spring! The green doesn’t stop at the fresh asparagus, the sauce is a combination of cilantro, yogurt, and ricotta coating the pasta in a silky green blanket that marries well with the flavorful ground lamb. All of this is contrasted by the final drizzle of chili oil on top.
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You Need

4 servings
0:35

  • Sauce

    • 15 ounces whole milk ricotta
    • ¾ cup full-fat greek yogurt
    • 1 bunch cilantro
    • 1 garlic clove, peeled
    • ½ a lemon, juiced
    • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
    • salt & pepper to taste

  • Pasta

    • 1 lb orecchiette
    • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
    • 1 lb ground lamb
    • 1 bunch asparagus, sliced on a bias
    • 4-6 garlic cloves, minced
    • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • chili oil of choice (optional)

    • How To

    1. Cook orecchiette in salted water until al dente.
    2. Blend all of the sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender (ricotta, yogurt, cilantro, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil). Taste and add salt & pepper as needed.
    3. Preheat a wok or shallow pan on medium heat with one tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil.
    4. Add ground lamb to the pan, season generously with salt and pepper. Then use a spoon or spatula to break up the pieces of meat and cook 95% of the way through until there is barely any pink remaining.
    5. Pour entire contents of the pan into a bowl and set aside, covered. Keep the rendered fat and any liquids that came out during cooking in the bowl so that lamb doesn’t dry out.
    6. In the pan you cooked the lamb in, add the remaining tablespoon of oil and the asparagus. Cook until asparagus is bright green but still has a bit of crunch.
    7. Pour the asparagus out of the pan into the bowl with the lamb.
    8. Bring the heat to a medium-low or low and add your butter and garlic to the pan. Cook the garlic until it is fragrant and just starting to gain color.
    9. Scoop your al dente pasta straight from the boiling water into the pan with the butter and garlic. Add pasta water as needed to make a homogeneous sauce.
    10. Quickly stir to coat the pasta in the garlic butter and pasta water. Add your creamy cilantro sauce a ¼ cup at a time until you get your desired sauciness and have fully coated your pasta.
    11. Add the ground lamb and asparagus, stirring to combine. Add more sauce if needed. Serve with a generous drizzle of the chili oil of your choice.