Roasted Asparagus Pasta

There is so much lovely asparagus in the grocery store right now.  I just love it, so green and crisp. There are so many good things to do with asparagus. This recipe uses roasted asparagus. It is a tasty spring dish that is simple to make. Even my in house taste tester liked it.

What you need,

2 cups farfalle pasta (or any short pasta you like)
½ cup ricotta cheese
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 lemon, juiced
¼ pine nuts, toasted
1 lb asparagus
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt/pepper to taste

First heat your oven to 350 degrees. Trim the ends off your asparagus. Lay them out in a single layer on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 10 – 15 minutes until golden brown and tender. Flip over mid way through cooking time. Remove from oven and cut into bite sized pieces, set aside.

Next toast your pine nuts. In a small non stick skillet, over medium heat, cook until nicely browned on all sides. Be careful they will burn fast. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

Cook the pasta according to directions on package. When you drain the pasta, save about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

To the hot pasta stir in the ricotta cheese, add a little of the pasta water to thin out the sauce. I probably used 1/4 a cup. Add in the pine nuts, asparagus and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with grated Parmesan.

This dish is a little creamy, it has a nice crunch from the pine nuts and a freshness from the lemon and asparagus topped with the nuttiness of the the parm! YUM! It is fresh and springy, a perfect weeknight meal.

Give it a try!

Jen