Pasta with Asparagus

Here’s a delicious Italian recipe for making pasta with asparagus.

Ingredients

• 320 g of pasta (penne, spaghetti, or your preference)
• 300 g of asparagus
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Extra virgin olive oil to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
• Water for cooking the asparagus

Preparation

1. Start by cleaning the asparagus: remove the toughest part of the stem, then wash them and cut them into pieces, leaving the tips whole.
2. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the asparagus for about 5-7 minutes, until they are tender but still crisp. Drain them and set them aside, keeping the cooking water.
3. In a large pan, heat some extra virgin olive oil and add the peeled garlic cloves to brown them.
4. Add the asparagus to the pan with the garlic and sauté everything for a few minutes. If you like, you can add a ladle of asparagus cooking water to make the dressing creamier.
5. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in the asparagus cooking water until it reaches the desired level of doneness.
6. Drain the pasta al dente and transfer it to the pan with the asparagus. Sauté everything for a few minutes so that the pasta absorbs the flavors of the dressing.
7. Adjust the salt and pepper, and if you wish, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese before serving.

You can add a creamy touch to your pasta with a bit of cream or milk cream before serving, if you like the idea. And for a more Italian touch, you could consider adding some diced pancetta or speck and sauté it together with the asparagus.

Curiosity

Asparagus is highly appreciated in Italian cuisine both for its delicate flavor and for its beneficial properties. They are diuretic and rich in vitamins and minerals. There are different varieties of asparagus, but the most famous in Italy are the white asparagus of Bassano and the green asparagus of Altedo.