Preheat oven to 375°F. Place the slices of bread on a baking sheet and drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil. Bake for about 7 to 10 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Remove from the oven and allow to slightly cool and dry out for a bit. Break up the bread with your hands and place it into a food processor. Pulse until the bread resembles coarse crumbs. Return the crumbs to the baking sheet and toast in the oven for a few minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil. Brown the sausage using a wooden spoon to break it up, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the shallot and garlic and cook for a few more minutes. Stir in the chopped asparagus and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Sauté until the asparagus is tender and bright green. Remove from the heat and set it off to the side. In a small bowl combine the ricotta cheese, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Season with a bit of salt and black pepper to taste, stir to combine. Set off to the side for later.

Bring a large pot of cold water to a boil. Season with tons of salt and bring back to a boil. Add the orecchiette noodles and cook as directed on the box, until tender. Reserve some of the pasta cooking liquid (about 2 cups). Drain the pasta and return it to the pot, set over low to medium heat. Add the cooked sausage and asparagus mixture to the orecchiette, and stir together with about 1 cup of the reserved pasta water. Add about half of the bread crumbs, all of the peas and the parmesan cheese. Stir everything together and cook until it's heated through. Season with a bit more black pepper if desired. If the pasta begins to stick to the bottom of the pot, add more of that reserved pasta water.

Serve the pasta with a dollop of the lemon ricotta mixture, some of the remaining bread crumbs, and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Eat hot or at room temperature. Enjoy!