Asparagus Cream Sauce Pasta
OHHHH. MYYYYYY. GOOOOODNESSSSSSS.
This pasta! This asparagus cream sauce pasta! You guys, it so deserves to be the first recipe of 2019. It’s my very own brainchild. And I couldn’t be prouder of this wonderful creation I’ve invented. It’s the offspring I could only have ever dreamed of. Modest, I am. I know.
Before I begin my dissertation, I need to let you know that there’s a full pound of asparagus blended into the cream of this pasta. Sneaky.
Okay, here’s how this asparagus cream sauce pasta ever came to be.
Remember this quick and easy asparagus soup? Well, one day at dinner, I decided to pour a ladle of that soup over some plain cooked penne I had lying around. And it was alarmingly delicious.
Which was when I decided that I had to create a pasta sauce containing blended asparagus. Obviously, the asparagus sauce was going to have to be a lot thicker and richer and creamier than the asparagus soup that double-purposed as pasta sauce that fateful night.
But. As things go, I didn’t get around to testing out the asparagus cream sauce idea for a couple months. But one Sunday, I did.
And, that Sunday was a life-changing day for me. A landmark event, it was, the day I created this asparagus cream sauce pasta. Who me? Dramatic? Never.
Now, the first couple times I tested out this pasta recipe, I used penne. And honestly, I think this asparagus cream pasta is best made with penne. The sauce enters the crevices of the penne and makes it that much more delightful when the hot sauce bursts in your mouth with each bite.
But. I already have a penne recipe on the blog (this awesomesauce penne all vodka). And it’s the only other pasta recipe I have ever posted. So I didn’t want to do the penne thing twice. Which is why I chose fettuccine for these asparagus pasta photos.
Also, this asparagus pasta sauce is very green. Because there’s actual cooked asparagus blended into the cream. But for some reason, once I mixed the fettuccine and Parmesan cheese with the sauce, the sauce took on the color of the cheese and pasta.
With penne, the sauce stays more green. Which I guess is another benefit of using penne, if a green pasta sauce is something that tempts you.
So let’s talk about the flavor of this magical asparagus sauce pasta.
It’s magical, in a word.
It’s creamy. It’s rich. It’s super tasty.
The unique flavor from the blended asparagus combined with the blissful cream sauce made with olive oil, sautéed onions and garlic, heavy cream, and generous salt and pepper is so different and special and magical.
And let’s not forget that you’re getting a healthy serving of greens (of the asparagus variety) in every portion of this asparagus pasta.
And that this pasta dish is a fairly easy dinner idea that can be made in less than 30 minutes from start to finish.
So unique. So delightful. So creamy and rich and flavorful. Asparagus cream sauce pasta - where have you been all my lyyyyyyyyfe.
Asparagus Cream Sauce Pasta
Yield: about 6-8 servings
1 lb. fresh asparagus
1 lb. pasta (I prefer penne, but spaghetti and fettuccine work well too)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup heavy cream
1-1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1. Cut off all the bottom, woody parts of the asparagus (approx. 1/3 of stalk from the bottom) and discard. Separate the tips from the stalks. Set aside the tips.
2. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil and cook asparagus stalks (not tips) until very tender. Remove stalks from water with a slotted spoon and set aside. Cook the pasta in the water used to cook the stalks until al dente. Add in the asparagus tips two minutes before the end of the pasta cooking time. Drain pasta and tips and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the oil. Add in the chopped onion and sauté until translucent. Add in the minced garlic and sauté until golden. Add in the cream, salt, and pepper and cook for a few minutes.
4. Add asparagus stalks to the cream and using an immersion blender or food processor, blend stalks and cream until completely smooth.
5. Return the sauce to the skillet over low heat and stir in the pasta, asparagus tips, and parmesan cheese until melted. Serve right away, with freshly grated Parmesan if desired.
