Saturday, September 15, 2012

Quick and Easy - Tomato & Asparagus Linguine

We have been trying really hard to have a meatless dinner @ least once a week but I am not creative enough to always come up with something that is vegetarian, inexpensive, healthy, delicious, AND quick.  Thank goodness the Other Half is developing this amazing palate so he can tell me what flavors to put together to make a good dish without a recipe.

This original recipe includes...
     1/2 package linguine
     12 stalks asparagus
     2 small tomatoes
     4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
     1 shallot, finely chopped
     1/3 cup olive oil
     1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
     Salt & black pepper to taste

Start with a pot of water...
     Cook the linguine according to the instructions; about 9 minutes
     In a pan, sweat the shallot, garlic, & pepper flakes in the olive oil over low heat
     After removing the tough parts, cut the asparagus on the bias
     Throw the asparagus into the pan & sautĂ© for 3 minutes
     Quarter & seed the tomatoes & cut them into large dices
     Season the asparagus according to taste & toss in tomatoes near the end
     Drain the pasta and return it to the pot
     Pour the veggies into the pasta & toss to combine
     Serve with a little bit of grated parmesan if desired



























Et voilĂ !  The entire dish from prep to plate took just around 30 minutes.  I learned that it would be better to use a pasta - like a penne or a rigatoni - that is similar in shape to the accompaniment so everything can be scooped up together.  The red pepper flakes was a last minute addition but I really liked that it gave a little bit of heat without the actual spiciness.  My end result was a little tight - not enough sauce - so next time I'll keep a bit of pasta water around to loosen things up as needed.

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