Creamy Spring Onion Pasta with Asparagus and Guanciale

This spring pasta is perfect for when the days start to feel brighter but you still want something rich and comforting for dinner. It’s packed with sweet spring onions, crisp-tender asparagus, and crispy guanciale, all tossed in a silky cream sauce that looks pretty elevated for a simple weeknight meal.

Spring is one of my favorite times to make pasta because you get all of these fresh, green vegetables while the weather is still transitioning from chilly to warm. This spring onion pasta with asparagus and guanciale lands right in that sweet spot. It’s packed with sweet spring onions, crisp-tender asparagus, fresh dill, crispy guanciale, and plenty of Parmigiano-Reggiano, all tossed together in a silky cream sauce.

What makes this spring onion pasta so good is the way it balances comfort and freshness. The spring onions cook down until soft and sweet, then get blended into the sauce for a smooth texture and luxurious mouthfeel. Add in the salty richness of the guanciale and the pop of asparagus, and you’ve got yourself a pasta that’s just right for a weeknight treat or laid-back dinner with friends.

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Table of contents

Why This Spring Onion Pasta is Different

Perfect pasta for early spring

This is the kind of pasta you’ll want to make when it’s technically spring, but the weather still can’t quite commit. It has all the fresh, green energy of the season from asparagus and spring onions, but the guanciale and cream sauce keep it cozy and satisfying.

If you want to round it out with something brighter and crunchier, my Blanched Sugar Snap Pea Salad makes a great spring side.

A great way to use spring onions

Spring onions are a little sweeter and more delicate than regular onions, and they’re blended into the sauce along with guanciale fat, cream, dill, and olive oil. It turns into a silky sauce that tastes a little sweet and smoky.

Gourmet in 30 minutes

This pasta tastes restaurant-worthy, but the method is simple. Crisp up the guanciale, cook down the vegetables, blend the sauce, and toss everything together for a dinner that feels special without taking over your night.

Ingredient Notes

Guanciale — This is what gives the pasta its savory backbone. It renders out rich, flavorful fat that flavors the whole dish, while the crisped-up lardons bring salty, meaty bites throughout. If you can’t find guanciale, pancetta is the best substitute, but thick-cut bacon will also work.
Spring onions — Sweeter and more delicate than regular onions, spring onions are one of the best parts of early spring cooking. Here, they get cooked down and blended into the sauce, giving it a soft onion flavor that tastes lighter and fresher than a typical cream pasta.
Asparagus — A natural match for spring onions and one of the easiest ways to make this pasta look like spring. It adds a crisp-tender bite and a pop of green.
Dill — Dill gives the sauce a fresh, slightly grassy flavor. It’s a small ingredient, but it does a lot to balance the richness of the guanciale and cream.
Heavy cream — Just enough cream helps turn the spring onions into a silky, glossy sauce. It softens the smoky richness of the guanciale and brings everything together without making the pasta feel overly heavy.
Parmigiano-Reggiano — This adds salty, nutty depth and helps finish the sauce. Since there aren’t many ingredients here, use the good stuff if you can.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Close-up of thick-cut guanciale being sliced into lardons on a wooden cutting board, showing distinct layers of white fat and pink meat.

A hand pours guanciale from a metal bowl into a large stainless steel pan on a stovetop.

1. Render the guanciale over medium-low heat until crisp, then transfer to paper towels, leaving the fat in the pan.

Sliced spring onions are dropped into a pan with hot rendered fat, beginning to soften and sizzle.

Spring onions cook down in a pan, turning soft and glossy as they are stirred with a utensil.

2. Thinly slice the green onion (keeping white and dark green parts separate). Sauté the spring onions in the guanciale fat until soft and jammy, then deglaze, add cream, and simmer until slightly thickened.

A creamy spring onion mixture with visible sliced onions and green pieces is poured from a pan into a blender.

A blender filled with a smooth, pale green sauce blending until fully creamy and uniform.

3. Blend the onion mixture with dill until smooth, stream in olive oil to emulsify, then season and strain.

A knife chops fresh asparagus into small pieces on a wooden cutting board, showing green stalks and purple-tipped ends.

Chopped asparagus is added to a stainless steel pan with melting butter on a stovetop.

4. Cut and cook the asparagus in butter over medium-high heat until bright green and just tender.

A bright green creamy sauce is poured into a pan of sautéed asparagus pieces, pooling and spreading around the vegetables.

Cooked rigatoni pasta is added to a pan filled with a smooth green sauce with visible asparagus pieces.

5. Add the sauce and pasta to the pan and toss until glossy and well-coated, adding pasta water as needed.

Crispy browned guanciale pieces are added to a pan of rigatoni coated in a creamy green sauce.

6. Fold in the guanciale and Parmesan, adjust seasoning, and serve with more cheese, dill, and lemon if using.

Tips for Making This Recipe

Don’t rush the spring onions

You want the spring onions to cook down until soft and sweet, not browned or aggressively caramelized. This gives the sauce a smoother texture and a more delicate onion flavor.

Blend the sauce until very smooth

Since this sauce gets its body from cooked spring onions, guanciale fat, cream, and olive oil, blending well makes a big difference. For the silkiest texture, blend thoroughly (longer than you think), then strain the sauce if you want an extra polished finish. A Vitamix blender will be very helpful here!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I substitute pancetta for guanciale?

Yes. Pancetta is the closest substitute and will still give you a rich, savory pasta. Bacon also work, but it will add a smokier flavor to the dish.

Can I make this ahead of time?

This pasta is best eaten right after tossing, when the sauce is silky and glossy. You can prep components ahead, like cooking the guanciale and making the sauce, but wait to cook the pasta and combine everything until just before serving.

What pasta shape works best for this sauce?

Rigatoni is a great choice for this sauce. The ridges and hollow center catch the creamy spring onion sauce really well, and the shape is sturdy enough to hold up against the crispy guanciale and asparagus.

Can I freeze the creamy pasta sauce?

I wouldn’t recommend it. Cream-based sauces can separate after freezing and reheating, and this one is at its best when freshly blended and tossed with hot pasta.

More Pasta Recipes

Quick Fettuccine Bolognese With Plant Based Meat
Brown Butter & Roasted Pumpkin Pasta with Citrus and Tarragon
Shiso Mornay Pasta With Toasted Lemon Bread Crumbs

Creamy Spring Onion Pasta with Asparagus and Guanciale

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Total Time 45

Servings: 2

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Calories: 2100

Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Video Notes

Ingredients

For the Pasta & Guanciale

½ pound Rigatoni
8 ounces guanciale (See Note 1) , cut into lardons

For the Spring Onion Cream Sauce

½ pound spring onions (See Note 2) , trimmed, white and green parts divided & thinly sliced
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup dill roughly chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

For the Asparagus

½ bunch asparagus cut on a bias into 1–1½-inch pieces
1 tablespoon butter

To Finish

2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano microplaned
~½ cup reserved pasta water as needed
Dill for garnish
Lemon juice optional

Equipment

High-speed Blender Vitamix
Microplane

Method

Cook the guanciale. Place some paper towels over a plate. Add the guanciale to a large sauté pan. Bring to medium-low heat and cook the guanciale, stirring occasionally, until the fat renders and the lardons turn golden and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the lardons to the paper towels, leaving the rendered fat in the pan.
Cook the pasta. Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the box instructions until just shy of al dente. Before draining, reserve at least 1 cup of pasta water.
Cook the spring onions. While the water comes to a boil, add the white and light green parts of the spring onions to the pan with the guanciale fat. Increase the heat to medium, and season with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring frequently, until completely softened and jammy, about 10 minutes. Add the darker green parts and cook for another 5 minutes, until everything is tender and fragrant. Deglaze the pan with a splash of water (or white wine if you have it), scraping up any browned bits, then stir in the cream. Bring to a simmer and cook until lightly thickened, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Blend the sauce. Transfer the spring onion mixture to a blender with the dill. Blend on high until completely smooth (See Note 3), then slowly stream in the olive oil to emulsify the sauce. It should look glossy and pale green. Season with salt, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve for a silky finish.
Sauté the asparagus. In the same pan used earlier, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the asparagus and cook, tossing occasionally, until bright green and just tender with a slight bite, 2 to 3 minutes.
Bring it all together. Transfer the pasta directly into the pan with the sauce, along with about ½ cup of reserved pasta water. Increase the heat to medium-high and stir vigorously until the sauce thickens and clings to the noodles. If the sauce looks too thick or tight, add more pasta water a splash at a time until it becomes glossy and coats the pasta.
Finish and serve. Remove from the heat and fold in the Parmesan and crispy guanciale. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, topped with more Parmesan, fresh dill, and a squeeze of lemon juice if using.

Nutrition

Calories: 2100kcalCarbohydrates: 160gProtein: 75gFat: 125g

Video

Notes

If you can’t find guanciale, pancetta is the best substitute. Bacon works, but it will add a smokier flavor.
Substitute with scallions, shallots, or leeks (or combination of all three!).
This can take up to a minute depending on your blender. A high-speed blender will give you the silkiest result.