PASTA WITH ASPARAGUS PESTO

Pasta with Asparagus Pesto image

This is a new twist on pesto for all asparagus lovers! Shell pasta can be substituted for orecchiette.

Provided by es

Categories Main Dish Recipes Pasta Pesto Pasta Recipes

Time 30m

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients

2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 cup water, or as needed
1 ½ pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
¾ cup packed fresh basil, divided
¼ cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
⅓ cup grated Pecorino-Romano cheese, plus more for garnish
1 (16 ounce) package orecchiette pasta

Steps:

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat; add pine nuts. Cook and stir pine nuts until fragrant and toasted, about 5 minutes.
Pour enough water into a skillet to reach a 1-inch depth; bring to a boil. Add asparagus and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove asparagus from skillet, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water. Set aside 1/2 cup asparagus tips.
Blend remaining asparagus, pine nuts, reserved 1/2 cup cooking water, 1/2 cup basil, olive oil, garlic, salt, black pepper in a blender until smooth, keeping the center piece of lid removed to release steam. Add Pecorino-Romano cheese; blend until smooth.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook orecchiette pasta in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 10 minutes. Drain and return pasta to pot.
Slice the remaining 1/4 cup basil. Add sliced basil, asparagus sauce, reserved asparagus tips to pasta; toss to evenly mix. Garnish with extra Pecorino-Romano cheese.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 581 calories, Carbohydrate 89.8 g, Fat 17.9 g, Fiber 7.9 g, Protein 19.1 g, SaturatedFat 2.3 g, Sodium 587.5 mg, Sugar 5.3 g