Pasta with Asparagus
When I was younger, I used to dread Sundays. As a child, it meant early bedtime for school the next morning, and as a teen, it meant a copious amount of schoolwork that had been left undone the entire weekend. Now, Sundays are for making yummy dishes like this pasta with asparagus!
Pasta with Asparagus
Sundays are one of my favorite days of the week. Sundays are a day for me to relax and refresh.
I enjoy a lazy breakfast, pick up groceries and fresh flowers from the farmer’s market, and then I spend the day cooking and eating a long, languid meal with family and friends.
Lunch might start with a little bruschetta or garlic bread, maybe some mixed olives. Then there’s a light arugula salad and a main course made with the seasonal produce I picked up at the market.
This Sunday, the menu featured pasta with asparagus, mushrooms, and creamy chèvre.
Asparagus is one of those vegetables that can be served alongside almost any food. A little grated parmesan and lemon zest, and you can create the perfect asparagus [easyazon_link identifier=”B005KMKSP0″ locale=”US” tag=”monpetitfour-20″]gratin[/easyazon_link] as a side dish.
You can cut it up and toss it with pasta, or you can wrap it in prosciutto like I’ve done here and simply garnish the pasta with it.
When shopping for asparagus, you want to look for asparagus that’s got stiff, dry tips with a lovely, fresh green color. Stay away from asparagus that’s got wimpy tips or a yellow-ish appearance.
Since the bottom of asparagus is usually tough and sandy, it’s best to thoroughly wash and cut about an inch off the bottoms.
This pasta with asparagus comes together in about 20 minutes. While the pasta is boiling, I simply wrap the asparagus in prosciutto and roast the prosciutto for 7 to 10 minutes.
Over the stove, I sauté mushroom and garlic, then toss the pasta in with a little [easyazon_link identifier=”B00VS4AQWE” locale=”US” tag=”monpetitfour-20″]pesto sauce[/easyazon_link]. The finishing touches are the prosciutto-wrapped asparagus and creamy chèvre.
The result is a heavenly pasta that will make you absolutely love asparagus season. There’s no heavy sauce getting in the way of you enjoying the tender, fresh asparagus. The salty, crisp prosciutto adds a nice contrasting flavor as well, which is why I love roasting it with the asparagus.
If you don’t enjoy [easyazon_link keywords=”goat cheese” locale=”US” tag=”monpetitfour-20″]goat cheese[/easyazon_link], you can sub any other cheese of your choice, but I just love the way goat cheese becomes even more creamy and delectable when it comes in contact with warm food.
I’m not ashamed to say that this pasta with asparagus was my favorite part about my Sunday!
Pasta with Asparagus
Bow-tie pasta tossed with basil pesto and prosciutto-wrapped asparagus.
Ingredients
- 8 oz bowtie pasta, cooked with 1/4 cup pasta water reserved
- 8 stalks of asparagus
- 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 8 sheets of prosciutto
- 2 cloves large garlic, minced
- 4 oz mushrooms, sliced
- 2.5 tbsp basil pesto
- salt, to taste
- splash of lemon juice
- 4 oz chevre, crumbled
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Rinse the asparagus well, then pat dry. Cut about an inch off the bottom of the asparagus stalks. Wrap each asparagus in each sheet of prosciutto, wrapping at a diagonal so that most of the asparagus stalk is enveloped inside the prosciutto.
- Add a tablespoon of the olive oil to a cast-iron, or oven-safe, pan. Place the prosciutto-wrapped asparagus in the pan and roast for 5 minutes. Turn on the oven's broil setting and broil the asparagus for another 2 to 5 minutes, or until the asparagus is fork-tender and the prosciutto is crispy.
- Take the pan out of the oven and place on top of the stove. Remove the asparagus and transfer to a plate; temporarily set aside. To the pan, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and turn on the heat to medium. Add the minced garlic and sliced mushrooms; sauté until mushrooms are cooked (about 2-3 minutes).
- Add the reserved pasta water and cooked pasta to the pan. Add the basil pesto (see note). Give everything a toss, then taste test for salt. Add a splash of lemon, if desired.
- Before serving, garnish pasta with crumbled chevre and the prosciutto-wrapped asparagus.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 4 ServingsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 575
Aren’t Sundays the absolute best!! I love your Sunday routine, sounds like a perfect way to end/start the week 🙂 and what a gorgeous way to top it off with this pasta!
all sounds like perfection!
such a lovely post
xx
Thank you so much, Bec! <3
Sundays are the best! I totally unwind and relax. And sundays for us are made for pasta :-). Love your pasta dish with mushrooms, asparagus and chèvre. (and just a touch of pesto). Yum!
Thanks so much, Nioletta! And agreed – Sundays ARE made for pasta!! 🙂
Hooray for spring and all of that wonderful asparagus! I’m with you on changing my feelings about Sunday – now that I’m older, I’m all about lazy Sundays 🙂 This is perfect for a nice, relaxing day, and I love that you wrapped the asparagus in prosciutto!
Thank you, Kathleen! Lazy Sundays are the best <3
Ah, I love the sound of your Sundays… I still dread them and going to work the next day. However, this beautiful dish would certainly help improve my mood… I love the way you’ve incorporated asparagus here, Beeta! This is such an elegant dish, and doesn’t seem like it would be much trouble to make!
Thank you so much, Sam! This dish is really easy to make – promise!
J’adore ton plat Beeta ! Il a tout ce que j’aime, des asperges, des champignons, des pâtes….un vrai délice.
Les dimanches pour moi aussi ont changé, maintenant ils ont un peu comme le tienne et c’est tant mieux ! xoxo
Merci, Eva! C’est un melange j’adore! XO
I had basil pesto pasta on the weekend and was reminded how beautiful the combination is. This dish looks absolutely spectacular Beeta, love the mushrooms and asparagus and bow tie pasta is sooo cute!
I love pesto pasta too, Jess! Thanks so much for your kind words<3
So funny, and true, how as we get older we grow to love Sundays! Sundays are the best day to relax and cook up a storm in the kitchen. And this pasta would be fabulous for any Sunday dinner! This looks just delicious, Beeta! I love asparagus, and it is quintessential Spring! That creamy chèvre sauce sounds incredible, my dear! Totally need to make this pronto! Cheers, dear! xo
Thank you, Cheyanne!! I, too, love cooking up a storm on Sundays! And the chevre is one of my favorite parts of this dish! 😉 XO
YUM! The perfect lunch for those lazy weekend days. All of the flavours here are so gorgeous and I love the lightness of the overall dish. I have to say my Sundays aren’t that dreamy… chores, maybe being a bit hungover, maybe even doing a bit of work, but I love the feeling of plopping down with a cup of tea on the couch after achieving all of the aims for the day 🙂
Thanks so much, Hannah! The dish is definitely light, which is why I love it too! XO