Pasta with Asparagus Sauce
I’m down to the asparagus with the crudites challenge and after this, I will have only the radishes to deal with. I was planning on making an asparagus risotto but I wasn’t in the mood to stand by the stove and babysit the rice. I had some chitarra pasta sitting in my pantry and remembered seeing a recipe where they turned the asparagus stalks into a creamy sauce. I liked the sound of a healthier vegetarian “afredo” so I pulled up the recipe and adapted it by adding cherry tomatoes for acidity and making the sauce a tad creamier with cream cheese (cream cheese makes everything better). There is almost zero waste to this dish as you’re using the stalks to make the sauce rather than throwing them away. My VitaMix blender had no problem obliterating any fibrousness from the stalks but if you see some remaining stringiness, be sure to strain it before adding it to the pasta. Feel free to swap out veggie stock for the chicken stock (it’s what I had on hand) and you can also skip the cream cheese and use nutritional yeast in place of the parmesan to make the dish completely vegan.
Pasta with Asparagus Sauce
1 bunch asparagus
1 cup chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
1 shallot or 1/4 cup diced onion
1 oz cream cheese
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove minced
1/2 cup cherry or grape tomatoes sliced in half
2 portions Chitarra pasta (or any shape of your choice)
parmesan cheese to finish
Instructions
Wash the asparagus. Cut off the tips and set aside.
Cook pasta according to package instructions.
If the bottom of the asparagus stalks feel too tough or fibrous, cut them off and discard, otherwise chop the remaining stalks into 1/2 inch pieces.
In a skillet bring the stock and diced shallots or onions to a boil, add the stalks and cook until tender (about 6-8 minutes)
Once the stalks are cooked, place them in a blender with the cooking liquid, cream cheese and parmesan cheese. Blend until completely pureed. Add salt and pepper to taste. If the sauce looks grainy or fibrous, strain your sauce before adding it to the pasta.
In the same skillet you used to cook the stalks, add the olive oil and garlic and saute for 30 seconds taking care not to burn the garlic. Add the asparagus tips and cook until tender (3-4 minutes). Add the cherry tomatoes, cook for another 1-2 minutes (don’t overcook the tomatoes or the asparagus).
Add cooked pasta (with some cooking liquid) to the asparagus and cherry tomatoes, stir in the asparagus sauce and toss to combine. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Plate and finish pasta with parmesan cheese and fresh black pepper if desired.
