You caught me in the midst of a red-hot spring fling.

Early each April, a long-time love returns to my life, and the two of us have a fleeting, fabulous affair. The object of my ardor: asparagus.

While I’m one of those veggie-loving weirdos who cherishes every edible in the jolly green garden (remember when I snuck beets into this fab chocolate cake?) asparagus wears the crown of my heart. I crave those crazy stalks.

Tragically for my asparagus-affection, asparagus has one of the shortest seasons of all vegetables. Brief April is asparagus prime time. Stalks explode with color and flavor—and frequently are placed on sale. Bonus! Best load up our carts and start cookin’.

In five days, I cooked six pounds of asparagus for Ben and me. Our favorite asparagus kitchen-baby so far: Lemon Asparagus Pasta with Roasted Shrimp. Say hello to a springtime bundle of joy!

Our bouncing Lemon Asparagus Pasta with Roasted Shrimp is dressed-for-success in a light, lemony, and easy healthy cream sauce. Forget the fussiness of traditional cream sauces, which require browning flour with butter as a base, then thickening with heavy cream. Instead, our easy cream sauce is a stealthy-healthy combo of skim milk and eggs. The eggs work as a thickening agent, adding body and extra protein to the sauce, without altering its taste. (This is not a breakfast-for-dinner situation, but let’s do that again soon!)

The cream sauce’s fresh flavor is grounded in zippy lemon zest, springy scallions, and a touch of garlic. We’re quick-cooking our asparagus in the same pot as our pasta (one less dish to wash—high five!), and our simple, oven-roasted shrimp is ready to toss with the sauce in less time than it takes me to find my misplaced cellphone in the morning (4-6 minutes).

{To make this dish vegetarian-friendly, simply omit the shrimp—it will still have oodles of substance and flavor.}

Lemon Asparagus Pasta with Roasted Shrimp is a super celebration of spring. Refreshing, packed with bright flavors, and a snap to prepare, healthy Lemon Asparagus Pasta with Roasted Shrimp will leave you more time to enjoy the sunshine and keep you feeling light on your twinkle toes.

Asparagus season is precious. Let’s party while it lasts with Lemon Asparagus Pasta with Roasted Shrimp.