Shrimp Asparagus Carbonara
A classic pasta carbonara recipe with tender shrimp and spring fresh asparagus. This creamy pasta dish is quick and easy, making it perfect for those busy weekday dinners.
Shrimp Asparagus Carbonara comes together in less than 20 minutes! In addition being a great family meal it is an impressive dish to make for company. I like to serve spaghetti carbonara with garlic bread and simple salad dressed with my Homemade Italian dressing.
The shrimp and asparagus go exceptionally well with the creamy bacon flavoured carbonara, but the recipe can be easily adapted by adding chicken instead of shrimp. When my garden fresh asparagus is ready to be picked this tasty recipe is on the menu. Other veggies such as peas or broccoli can also be used if you prefer.
Pro Tip
Do not let the pasta cool before stirring in cream, egg, cheese mixture. The hot pasta is what cooks the eggs, cream and cheese.
Delicious Pasta recipes for family dinner
Easy to make pasta dishes for those busy weekday dinner.
Shrimp Asparagus Carbonara
Ingredients
- 8 slices bacon Diced. I like to use bacon with less fat, or cut away excess fat.
- 1/3 cup onion finely diced
- 1 clove garlic finely minced
- 16 oz large shrimp tail-off
- 1 cup fresh asparagus chopped into pieces
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 12 oz spaghetti
Instructions
- Cook pasta, drain and set aside. (Keep warm) I like to add a drizzle of olive oil to prevent the spaghetti from sticking together.
- Using a large non-stick skillet, cook the bacon until crisp.
- Add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions are soft. (about 2 minutes)
- Add the shrimp and asparagus, cook an additional 4-5 minutes.
- In a small bowl combine the cream, egg yolks, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.
- Add the shrimp and asparagus mixture into the cooked pasta.
- While the pasta mixture is still hot, stir in the cream, egg and cheese mixture. Toss to completely combine.
- Season to taste with extra fresh ground pepper and salt.
Notes
Nutrition
Holy moly- this pasta is genius! I have to look for it at my local market. Love the bacon, asparagus, and shrimp combo too!
Yes it is so easy and tasty just like regular pasta!
Laureen this is a delicious recipe that has so many great flavours and colours, love reading your blog xoxo
thank you so much Beverley, I’ve been enjoying your photos. I think that I should start doing that. It would be a great way to improve one’s photography.
This looks amazing!
20 minutes, you say? Sign me up for this tonight!
Denyse, I use heavy cream 33% also know as whipping cream
Can you use chicken instead??
Absolutely!
How long do I cook the asparagus? Thank you
Asparagus is added after the pasta is cooked and cooks for 3 minutes. If you like it softer cook a few minutes longer.
What type of cream do you use?
I use heavy cream.
Isn’t seven minutes of cooking time about the same for regular pasta?
Cooking time with Pronto is a bit less, but the real convenience is not having to drain anything. The water gets totally absorbed while the pasta cooks.
But you have to continually stir it?
yes, this is a special type of no drain pasta that needs to be stir occasionally while cooking. not continuously
Heavy whipping cream is the cream u use
Yes, heavy cream, also known as whipping cream.
Hi June, you could use turkey bacon, prosciutto, Canadian back bacon, or even thinly sliced ham. It won’t be the same flavour but I think they would be good substitutions
Instead of the Asparagus, can I use fresh string beans? When and how long do I cook the string beans? I don’t like Asparagus and still would like to use some sort of green vegetable.
Fresh string beans would work well in this recipe! cook time is about the same as asparagus
When I made it, I needed more liquid.and a longer cooking time for the pasta to make it softer than probably people would prefer. I added 1/2 and 1/2 to the cream amount to make it looser than most people like.
And I think it fair better when I reheat it!
For the folks complaining about fat and calories, you can use 1/2 and 1/2 instead of heavy cream and just add a touch of cornstarch to help it thicken. And for the bacon, use Hormel’s Bacon Crumbles. It’s only 25 calories per tablespoon.
I made this for my husband for Valentine’s Day, and he loved every bit of it! Thanks for sharing a top-notch recipe – we’ll definitely be incorporating this into our normal rotation.
Thank you so much Elizabeth 🙂
This recipe is fantastic. I think it’s my favorite. My husband loves it. The directions are clear and easy to follow. All I one pan. Outstanding.
So awesome Kelly, thank you!
Really enjoyed this: use 1/4 c cream, 3/4 of half and half. Decreased bacon to 6 slices. Tossed all but 2 T of bacon fat, used that for onion garlic and asparagus