Asparagus Pasta
A lovely springtime asparagus pasta where the asparagus gets shaved so thin it blends right in with the spaghetti! Plus artichoke hearts, and punchy basil-almond pesto sauce. Easily vegan adaptable!
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Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
For the Pesto
- 2/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup whole almonds toasted
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves about 3 ounces basil leaves
- 1/2 cup packed fresh parsley leaves
For the Pasta
- 1 pound asparagus tough ends removed
- 1 pound dried linguine or spaghetti
- 1 14 ounce can quartered artichoke hearts drained
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)
Instructions
For the pesto:
- Place the olive oil, almonds, garlic, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and process until finely ground and almost a paste.
- Add basil and parsley and continue blending until really smooth and creamy. Scrape into a bowl and taste. Stir in more salt as needed.
For the pasta:
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat.
- Meanwhile, using a vegetable peeler, shave each asparagus spear lengthwise into thin strips. Once you get to the tip, stop and place that into the pile with the shavings.
- Cook pasta in the boiling water according to package instructions. When pasta only has about a minute left, add asparagus. Cook one minute more, reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain.
- Return pot to stove over low heat. Add pesto, artichoke hearts, pasta-asparagus mixture, and the pasta water. Toss with tongs until pasta is coated in pesto. Season with salt as needed and toss again. Remove from heat and serve with Parmesan if desired.