Friday, May 21, 2010

Pasta with Asparagus and Peas

I got this recipe from Giada De Laurentiis while I was in Kansas visiting my parents in February. They have Direct TV so I spent as much time as I could commandeering the remote to watch the Food Network.

I didn’t have all the ingredients (the original called for tomatoes – which would have been yummy in this) so I’m only posting my modification. Please add cherry tomatoes if you’d like!

Cook pasta according to instructions and reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water at the end.

In a saute pan, heat oil and garlic until fragrant. Add the trimmed asparagus and cook for 3 minutes. Add the peas and cook for two more minutes.

Add the chicken stock and simmer 3 minutes.


Not sure why but I took a picture of the grated parmesan. Ha!


Toss the mixture together in a large bowl and top with grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil.



I made this recipe when Andrew was still in New York so I did not get another adult’s opinion on it! :) Abigail and I enjoyed this light and healthy meal, however, and thought it was delicious!

My only note would be that the asparagus gets a little mushy when you try to serve this dish as leftovers. I still ate up all the leftovers but I prefer my asparagus to be a bit more tender crisp than the reheating provided. Still yummy.

Here is the original recipe including the tomatoes, which, like I said earlier, would have been nice.

Oh, I forgot to mention that this was fast and easy to make!


Ingredients
8 ounces short cut pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups (about 9 ounces) cherry tomatoes
1 cup shelled peas
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock
1 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the asparagus, season with the salt and pepper, and cook for 3 minutes until slightly soft. Add the cherry tomatoes and peas. Cook for 2 minutes. Pour the chicken stock into the pan and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook until the tomatoes start to burst and the stock is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.

Transfer the asparagus mixture to a large serving bowl. Add the cooked pasta and 1/2 of the Parmesan. Toss well, adding reserved pasta water, if needed, to loosen the pasta. Garnish with the remaining Parmesan and chopped basil.
**I have been neglecting to mention that I always use whole wheat pasta. Never just the white stuff. Enjoy. **

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