Friday morning I was shopping at my local Sprouts market and could not resist the asparagus.  It looked so good and so sweet; I bought two bunches.  I decided to make an asparagus pasta with this fabulous looking vegetable.  I thought it would be light (no meat) and feel like a summer dish.  It was so simple and easy to put together.  My husband, my daughter and I spent the afternoon on Coronado Island.  It was nice to come home and make a Sunday dinner that looked and tasted special without spending very much time in the kitchen.  I wouldn’t think twice about making this for dinner guests.

I used one large bunch of asparagus that I cut into two inch pieces.  I sautéed one large shallot and three cloves of garlic in olive oil, added a bit more olive oil and sautéed the asparagus for a few minutes.  I threw in a pinch of crushed red pepper and added reduced sodium chicken broth. I then continued to cook the asparagus for a minute or so.  Next, I added my cooked penne rigate noodles and a half cup of grated parmesan and tossed everything together.  I poured my pasta into a serving dish and dropped dollops of ricotta cheese over the top along with shaved parmesan, finishing with a sprinkling of sea salt and crushed red pepper.

I really enjoyed this pasta and hope you will too!

Ingredients

• 1 pound penne rigate pasta

• 1 large bunch asparagus, cut into two inch pieces

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 large shallot, diced

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

• 1/2 cup chicken broth (low sodium)

• 1/2 cup grated parmesan

• ricotta cheese, 8 teaspoons

• shaved parmesan, for serving

Directions

Boil noodles according to package directions, drain. Reserve one cup of pasta water.

Heat two tablespoons olive oil in a sauté pan.  Add shallots and garlic and cook a couple minutes.  After that, drizzle one tablespoon olive oil and the asparagus to your sauté pan and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes.  Next, pour the chicken broth into the pan and let flavors meld together for a minute or so.  Pour the drained noodles into the sauce mixture, plus the reserved pasta water, if needed.  Sprinkle the grated parmesan over the noodles and toss everything together.  Transfer your pasta to a serving dish and place dollops of ricotta over the top as well as shaved parmesan.  Enjoy!

You can easily make this pasta vegetarian by using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

Until next time, Kris