Tomato and Asparagus “Carbonara”
I found this tomato and asparagus “carbonara” recipe in the September 2012 issue of Cooking Light and couldn’t wait to make it. It took very little make and was creamy, cheesy, and delicious. I loved that, even though it didn’t have bacon as a traditional carbonara has, it was still flavorful and satisfying. My husband, son, and I all loved but my daughter wasn’t a fan. This vegetarian carbonara recipe paired nicely with a loaded garden salad and crusty olive bread.
Tomato and Asparagus “Carbonara”
Ingredients:
- 8 oz whole wheat penne pasta cooked, per instructions, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 pint of grape tomatoes
- 1 lb asparagus, woody ends removed and cut into thirds
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
- ½ cup of Parmesan Asiago, Romano cheese mixture
- 1 large egg, well-beaten
- Several fresh basil leaves, torn
How to Make Tomato and Asparagus “Carbonara”
Cook the pasta in a large pot of well-salted boiling water per instructions; drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.
Cook the vegetables while the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally for 5-6 minutes.
Add the asparagus and cook for 2 minutes. Add the minced garlic and season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste; cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
Finish the dish by mixing the egg, Parmesan cheese, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste until well combined.
Drain the pasta and immediately add the cheese/egg mixture to the noodles, stirring constantly until well combined and the cheese has melted, adding some of the reserved pasta water, as needed.
Add the tomato and asparagus mixture to the pan and mix until evenly coated.
Place pasta into the serving bowl and sprinkle the top with the torn basil leaves. Serve immediately. Enjoy.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 oz whole wheat penne pasta cooked per instructions, reserving ½ cup of cooking water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 pint of grape tomatoes
- 1 lb asparagus ends removed and cut into thirds
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
- ½ cup of Parmesan Asiago, Romano cheese mixture
- 1 large egg well-beaten
- Several fresh basil leaves torn
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of well-salted boiling water per instructions; drain, reserving 1½ cup of the cooking water.
- Cook the vegetables while the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally for 5-6 minutes.
- Add the asparagus and cook for 2 minutes. Add the minced garlic and season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste; cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
- Finish the dish by mixing the egg, Parmesan cheese, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste until well combined.
- Drain the pasta and immediately add the cheese/egg mixture to the noodles, stirring constantly until well combined and the cheese has melted, adding some of the reserved pasta water, as needed.
- Add the tomato and asparagus mixture to the pan and mix until evenly coated.
- Place pasta into the serving bowl and sprinkle the top with the torn basil leaves. Serve immediately. Enjoy.
This looks absolutely perfect. Great for lunch or dinner.
Really looks great Pam! I love asparagus, raw, undercooked, overcooked and even canned! Don
Looks delicious!
Hi,
I’ m Alberto from Italy.
You Have a Best website.
You have many delicious recipes.
I have a blog http://www.realitaliandish.wordpress.com is a blog of real italian recipes if you wont take some recipes you can take is a honor for me.
Bye from Italy CIAO.
Sorry for my english.
Alberto Zamò
Ohh!! yummy, this looks really good, delicious!!.
oh my goodness, this looks so good, i love these kind of flavors!
Doesn’t like cheese?!?!? Well…I’ll gladly have her share.
I will take your daughter’s share too 🙂 This is a nice vegetarian dish. I love any type of pasta.
I wish I didn’t like cheese !! This looks super yummy Pam. Sounds like a wonderful lighter version of one of my favorite comfort foods.
I love the bright colors in this dish Pam
Carbonara sauce makes everything wonderful, and with the great ingredients in this dish, I’m not surprised that it was an instant hit!
Yum, another delicious recipe!! it looks great Pam!
oh, i have GOT to try this one! I’m out of eggs.. I’ll be picking some up though! 🙂
It sounds good to me!
I adore anything carbonara.. even with asparagus 🙂
Love the asparagus in this! And if your daughter doesn’t like it, I’d be more than happy to help her finish her plate 🙂
This pasta looks so delicious, Pam! I’m afraid I would have to add some bacon, though, which wouldn’t make it a “light” recipe. 😉 I am always surprised when you say your daughter doesn’t like cheese, because your children are the most adventurous eaters!
I am jealous that you still have some green asparagus at this time of year. The carbonara looks mouthwatering!
Your daughter would NOT like our house, as we put cheese in/on almost everything. Wisconsin loves us.
That is a great pasta dish but I’d be tempted to work some crisped pancetta or bacon in there just the same:)
This sounds like a hearty and tasty carbonara!