Asparagus pasta is a pasta dish consisting of asparagus, pasta and various other ingredients such as olive oil, garlic, onions, butter, chicken broth, heavy cream, cheese, salt, pepper and flavoring herbs like basil and thyme. The asparagus is cooked into a creamy sauce with the various ingredients, and cooked pasta is tossed with this sauce to make the dish. The dish can be served hot as an appetizer, side or main dish, and can be prepared into many interesting variants like Shrimp and Asparagus Pasta or Pasta with Baby Artichokes and Asparagus, with the use of additional ingredients.

Ingredients Used and Method of Preparation of Asparagus Pasta

Ingredients: Asparagus spears, any type of pasta, garlic, onions, olive oil or butter, mushrooms, carrots, chicken broth, dried basil leaves, heavy cream, grated cheese such as Parmesan, chopped red pepper, salt and pepper are the usual ingredients suggested by the asparagus pasta recipe.

Usage of Asparagus: Tough ends of fresh asparagus are removed, and it is cut into small pieces, usually one inch in length, and cooked in boiling water till tender yet firm for inclusion in the dish. It may alternately be cooked by steaming, stir-frying, roasting or grilling as per various recipes. Frozen asparagus pieces may also thawed and used in the dish. Green, white or purple asparagus are the available varieties, but the green one is most common.

Preparation: To prepare the dish, minced onion and garlic are sautéed in melted butter is a skillet, followed by addition of chopped asparagus and optionally thinly slices carrots and mushrooms. These are sautéed for a few minutes after which chicken broth and flavoring herbs like basil are added in, and the liquid allowed to simmer till reduced to make a thick sauce. Heavy cream and chopped red pepper are then added, and the contents cooked for a few more minutes. Meanwhile, the pasta is cooked till al dente in boiling salted water, after which it is drained. The cooked pasta, sauce and grated cheese are tossed together, and seasonings of salt and pepper adjusted.

Serving Asparagus Pasta

Asparagus pasta is served hot, with a garnish of grated cheese or basil leaves, as a starter or side dish, or as a light meal by itself. Common accompaniments are French bread and green salad.

Asparagus Pasta Recipe Variations

• Shrimp and Asparagus Pasta: To prepare this variant, a sauce is made by cooking flour and bouillon with heated butter, and then adding in milk. When the sauce thickens, grated cheese, shrimp, mushrooms and asparagus are added to it, and further cooked. The sauce is served over cooked pasta.
• Angel Hair Pasta with Asparagus and Feta: To make this variant, a tomato sauce is made with olive oil, tomatoes, feta cheese, olives, marjoram and steamed asparagus, and served over cooked angel hair pasta.

Nutritional Information about Asparagus Pasta

Asparagus pasta shares the health benefits of asparagus, which is a rich source of vitamin B6 and vitamin C, folate, fiber and glutathione. Asparagus also contains antioxidant and anti-carcinogen properties.

Related Article: Asparagus Pasta Salad