May 25

May 25 asparagus and shallot pasta (gf + v)

dairy-free, gluten-free, food, recipes, vegan, vegetables, weeknight

This is a very Sana type meal. I love things that come together in 30 mins, with fresh vegetables, pasta (of course!), and straight out of the pan. Many of my meals are some version of that. What I love about this recipe is that in every bite you’ll have sliced asparagus, a little pasta, the sweet and sharp tomato sauce, and summery basil. Even if spicy things aren’t your jam, just a pinch of chili flake is so good here.

Ingredients:

½ lb GF pasta (conchiglie, orecchiette, bowtie, fusilli) 1 bunch asparagus (1 lb) 2 garlic cloves 2 medium-size shallots 3 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp tomato paste sea salt, to taste cracked pepper, to taste a couple pinches of red chili flakes (optional) 10 fresh basil leaves, plus a couple more for topping zest of one lemon ½ cup pasta water, reserved

before the pasta goes in, toss the asparagus with the garlic, tomato paste, and shallot mixture till cooked through

Directions:

Step 1: First, prep the vegetables. Snap off the woody ends from the asparagus and slice into 1-inch pieces on a bias (slanted). Thinly slice the garlic cloves and slice the shallot crosswise/horizontally into thin rounds.

Step 2: Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Cook the pasta to al dente. It should have a little bite to it as it will finish cooking with the asparagus. Drain the pasta and reserve ½ cup of pasta water.

Step 3: While the pasta is cooking, heat a large frying pan on medium to medium-high heat with olive oil. The oil should cover the bottom of the pan in a thin layer. Once the oil starts to shimmer, add the shallots and garlic, a little salt and pepper, and fry till the shallots are opaque and the garlic is cooked through but not brown – around 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add in the asparagus and season with more salt, pepper, and a pinch of chili flakes (optional) and cook for about 10 mins, or until the asparagus can be easily pierced by a knife.

Step 4: Add the cooked pasta, basil leaves, and just a ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water, and gently toss everything together till a glossy sauce coats everything in the pan. Use a little more pasta water if needed. Take off the heat and add the lemon zest, more cracked pepper, a couple leaves of thinly sliced basil and chili flakes, if using. Serve straight out of the pan.

Notes:

*If you really love shallots, you can do three small ones :P

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