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Penne Pasta with Asparagus Recipe
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Penne Pasta with Asparagus Recipe

Yum!

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 bunch asparagus ends trimmed and cut into 1½ inch pieces
  • 2 medium onion chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic finely minced, cloves
  • 1 pint cherry tomato whole or sliced
  • ½ cup pea
  • 1 tablespoon basil fresh
  • 1 tablespoon tarragon fresh
  • ½ tablespoon oregano fresh
  • ½ cup Parmesan Cheese grated, with additional cheese to garnish
  • salt to taste, freshly ground
  • black pepper to taste, freshly ground
  • 1 pound penne pasta
  • ¼ cup pine nuts toasted

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Start by heating up a large pot of water to cook the pasta.
  2. Trim the ends of the asparagus and then cut each stalk into ½ inch pieces.
  3. Chop the onions finely and mince the garlic.
  4. Finely chop the basil, tarragon & oregano.
  5. Grate your Parmesan cheese or have it standing by in a cheese grater.
  6. When the water comes to a boil, add some salt and then the pasta and cook to al dente. If you have done all the prepping while the water comes to a boil, the sauce should be done about the same time the pasta takes to cook.It is better to have the pasta under-cooked since you will be finishing it off in the sauce but try not to overcook the pasta so it loses its crispness.
  7. While the pasta is cooking, heat up a large sized sauté pan or fry pan over medium-high heat. You could also cook this in a large saucepan.
  8. Add the butter and oil and when hot, add the asparagus and sauté for about 3 minutes. Remove the asparagus from the pan and keep warm.
  9. Add the onions, garlic & a little more olive oil if needed to the pan and sauté until the onions become translucent & golden in color, about 8 - 10 minutes.
  10. Now add the cherry tomatoes, peas, basil, tarragon, oregano and season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.
  11. At this point, I like to take about ¼ cup of the water the pasta has been cooking in and add it to the sauce. Let the sauce come to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium and let the sauce simmer until it thickens about 8 minutes.
  12. Add the asparagus back to the pan and cook until tender but still crisp, 3 to 4 minutes.
  13. Add the pasta to the pan, along with the grated Parmesan and toss gently. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.

Notes

  • If you like it a little spicier, you can always add a shake from the hot red pepper flakes in the back of your spice cabinet. Be careful, a little goes a long way.
  • Serve family style in one big bowl or individually plate the pasta and have some extra grated Parmesan cheese on hand.