Delicious Italian Pasta With Asparagus & Lemon Pesto

I absolutely love pasta and out of all the different kinds, penne is my favourite. Before, I used to have pasta every time I went out with my friends, that is like once in about 2 or 3 weeks. But of late, I realised that my craving for pasta has increased. This is when I decided to cook my own pasta..

I started by searching for nice penne recipes on the internet. I came across many and most of them sounded difficult. Pasta is not easy to cook. If it is overdone, it is wasted. If underdone, again it is wasted. You have to be very careful when making pasts dishes because if you go wrong somewhere, then you can’t make it right again unlike most other dishes.

So I decided to try a simple penne recipe first. I came across this pasta with asparagus & lemon pesto recipe that I decided to try. Asparagus is again one of my favourites and at the time when I was searching for a recipe, I had a bunch of fresh asparagus lying in my fridge. This is why I decided to go with this recipe and trust me when it was done, it was an absolute delight.

Penne with asparagus & lemon pesto is a tasty dish. You will love it.. In fact every one will love it. It is quick and easy to make because you can prepare it in just under 20 minutes. But keep in mind that you measure every ingredient correctly before you start cooking. Keep the ingredients close at hand and make sure that you do not burn the nuts over the heat.

To retain the crispy texture of the pine nuts, you can choose to add them over the pasta when all the other things have been added. Don’t mix the nuts with the pesto as it kills the texture and nutty flavour of the nuts. Mix the pesto with pasta and asparagus in a bowl and then add the nuts on top like a garnish. This way, you will be able to get more flavour out of the nuts.

This recipe is very straightforward and it is easy to cook. Whether you are running late or are simply lazy, you can save your day with this easy to cook penne recipe. Give it a try and trust me you will not be disappointed.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/278026976971238666/

Serves: 2

Delicious Italian Pasta With Asparagus & Lemon Pesto September 25, 2014 Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:

• 1 vegetable bouillon cube
• 2 cups uncooked penne
• 2 cloves garlic
• Asparagus, 1 bunch
• Juice of 1 lemon
• ½ cup basil
• ½ cup parsley
• ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup pine nuts
• 2 tbsp pasta water
• Black pepper

Instructions:

1. Take a pot of water and bring it to a boil. Into the boiling water, add veggie bouillon cube and penne. Follow instructions on the package and cook.
2. Cut the edges of the asparagus and wash. Slice into 2 inch pieces.
3. Take a sauté pan and add a little olive oil. Heat the oil and add asparagus, one minced garlic clove and cook covered for about 4 mins on medium heat. Shake the pan once during cooking.
4. In a food processor, add parsley, 1 garlic clove, parmesan, black pepper, olive oil, lemon juice and make into a pesto. If it becomes too dry, add little pasta water.
5. Take a bowl and empty asparagus from the pan into the bowl. Add pine nuts into the pan and heat gently shaking the pan. Allow the nuts to turn golden brown in color.
6. Drain water from penne and add to the bowl with asparagus.
7. Add pine nuts and pesto to the bowl of penne and asparagus and give a good toss before serving hot.

Source: http://greenvalleykitchen.com/penne-asparagus-lemon-pesto/