In my younger years I was not a fan of asparagus….who in the world would eat a woody stemmed green vegetable? Now as an adult, however, both my husband and I enjoy a nice side of asparagus to complete a meal. Clearly, I have become more refined and mature with age. 😉
A few years ago, I was searching the internet for some new asparagus recipes and I came across a pasta recipe that included asparagus….I made a few adjustments to the recipe, we gave it a try, we loved it, and it is now on our menu rotation when we are able to find fresh asparagus.
Parmesan and Asparagus Pasta
Author: Shelby (adapated from ValSoCal)
Recipe type: Pasta
Delicious pasta made of simple and fresh ingredients
Ingredients
- 8 ounces thin spaghetti noodles
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- 3 - 4 large garlic cloves
- ½ small onion diced
- 1 pint container of sliced mushrooms
- 4 oz of procuitto or thin sliced ham, cut into thin strips
- 1 lb asparagus trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1¼ cups heavy cream
- ¾ cup Parmesan cheese, grated (divided)
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (more or less to desired spiciness)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions
- Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, sauté onion, garlic and mushrooms until fragrant and semi done.
- Add prosciutto or ham and asparagus and sauté until asparagus is bright green (apprx 2-3 min)
- Add cream and ½ cup of parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper as desired
- Reduce heat to simmer and cook several minutes until sauce has thickened.
- Combine your sauce and veggie mixture with the pasta and toss to coat.
- Top with remaining ¼ cup parmesan cheese and enjoy!
Did you know that in Iowa asparagus grows really well and actually has something called “wild asparagus” that can be found in roadside ditches? Funny story….I was out to dinner with a friend and she mentioned how a lady was talking about how many people in Iowa consider asparagus a ditch weed. She inquired if I had heard of such a thing, I giggled and told her no, thinking it was an inaccurate statement. Sure enough, I was proved wrong. Little did I know, a short amount of time later, my kiddos and Grandma De would go on an adventure hunt and find wild asparagus growing right in our own roadside ditch! With a little further investigation (aka google and my farmer husband) the statement was indeed accurate. We now have our own “wild asparagus” we can go trim and enjoy with our meals. The kids particularly enjoy hunting and collecting the asparagus…not so much eating it. I assume this will change as they mature and become more refined like their mother. ha!
