Asparagus Pesto Pasta Salad
I had to make a dish to take to a potluck yesterday, and when I went to the pantry to assemble the ingredients for the pasta salad I'd planned to make, I found I was out of two essential ingredients. And I seemed to be missing an ingredient or two of every other "tried and true" recipe I could think of. I didn't really want to experiment on a new recipe when I would be serving the results to other people, but then I figured, what the heck: I didn't know most of the people who would be eating it anyway, and if it turned out terrible, I could put on a innocent expression and deny responsibility!
Fortunately, I didn't have to resort to such subterfuge. The asparagus pesto I decided to make was a hit, and I didn't have to sneak my serving bowl out under my shirt when the dinner was over. In fact, several people who saw me claim the (empty!) bowl walked up to ask me how I'd made the sauce.
I don't think I would have ever thought of making pesto with cooked asparagus if I hadn't happened across this recipe. I would normally make pesto with a little silken tofu (instead of olive oil) and nutritional yeast (instead of Parmesan cheese), but those were two of the many ingredients missing from my pantry. So when I saw the recipe for asparagus pesto sauce, I knew I had to try it. And I'm glad I did: Between the asparagus and the lemon juice, this turned out much more tangy than regular pesto. It's definitely a keeper!
Asparagus Pesto Pasta Salad
2 pounds asparagus
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts (lightly toasted)
1 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 tsp. salt
OPTIONAL: 1 tbsp. olive oil
About 1 pound penne or other pasta
Salt and pepper
Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add the asparagus spears. Cook until just tender, about 4 minutes. Without emptying the water from the pot, lift out the asparagus spears and set aside to cool slightly.
Bring the water back to a boil. Add salt, if needed, and add pasta. Cook until the pasta is al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water, and drain and rinse the pasta with cool water. Put into a serving bowl.
Trim off the top 3 or 4 inches of the asparagus spears, and put the tips into the bowl with the pasta. Cut the bottoms into several pieces, and set aside to use in the pesto sauce.
Use a food processor to make the pesto: With the processor running, drop in the garlic cloves and allow them to chop. Add 2 tablespoons of the pine nuts, and pulse to chop. Add the lemon juice, basil, salt, and the asparagus pieces (not the tips!) along with 4-6 tablespoons of the reserved pasta water and optional olive oil. (Start with 4 tbsp. water and add more as needed.) Puree until smooth.
Toss the pasta and asparagus tips with the pesto, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with the remaining pine nuts, and serve warm or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes for next time: This was really excellent, but it would be even better with a touch of nutritional yeast or a sprinkle of soy Parmesan. Since I was making it ahead of time, I added the optional olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking together, but I don't think it improved the taste, so don't feel like you need to use it.
Fortunately, I didn't have to resort to such subterfuge. The asparagus pesto I decided to make was a hit, and I didn't have to sneak my serving bowl out under my shirt when the dinner was over. In fact, several people who saw me claim the (empty!) bowl walked up to ask me how I'd made the sauce.
I don't think I would have ever thought of making pesto with cooked asparagus if I hadn't happened across this recipe. I would normally make pesto with a little silken tofu (instead of olive oil) and nutritional yeast (instead of Parmesan cheese), but those were two of the many ingredients missing from my pantry. So when I saw the recipe for asparagus pesto sauce, I knew I had to try it. And I'm glad I did: Between the asparagus and the lemon juice, this turned out much more tangy than regular pesto. It's definitely a keeper!
Asparagus Pesto Pasta Salad
2 pounds asparagus
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts (lightly toasted)
1 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 tsp. salt
OPTIONAL: 1 tbsp. olive oil
About 1 pound penne or other pasta
Salt and pepper
Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add the asparagus spears. Cook until just tender, about 4 minutes. Without emptying the water from the pot, lift out the asparagus spears and set aside to cool slightly.
Bring the water back to a boil. Add salt, if needed, and add pasta. Cook until the pasta is al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water, and drain and rinse the pasta with cool water. Put into a serving bowl.
Trim off the top 3 or 4 inches of the asparagus spears, and put the tips into the bowl with the pasta. Cut the bottoms into several pieces, and set aside to use in the pesto sauce.
Use a food processor to make the pesto: With the processor running, drop in the garlic cloves and allow them to chop. Add 2 tablespoons of the pine nuts, and pulse to chop. Add the lemon juice, basil, salt, and the asparagus pieces (not the tips!) along with 4-6 tablespoons of the reserved pasta water and optional olive oil. (Start with 4 tbsp. water and add more as needed.) Puree until smooth.
Toss the pasta and asparagus tips with the pesto, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with the remaining pine nuts, and serve warm or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes for next time: This was really excellent, but it would be even better with a touch of nutritional yeast or a sprinkle of soy Parmesan. Since I was making it ahead of time, I added the optional olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking together, but I don't think it improved the taste, so don't feel like you need to use it.
posted by SusanV at 9:25 AM
17 Comments:
Delicious ... my favorite eating spot in Dallas did a salad like this, using a pasta with lots of nooks and crannies ... must try this!!
Susan this looks great! I know that feeling of I'll never see these people again so what does it matter - but I fear being the owner of something no one touches! I can see why this was a success - it looks and sounds wonderful!
looks amazing. i love how you kept the spears whole. i want to cook this.
Love the deep green color - I can imagine how tasty this must have been!
This looks outstanding and since recently discovering the joys of asparagus I am eager to try it in new recipes. I have a question regarding the Artichoke Roasted Red Pepper dip you made a while ago - I really wanted to make i and so I decided to get the ingredients yesterday. I have never bought red peppers in any way other than raw so I spent some considerable time studying jars trying to find one that were not oil packed and didn't cost a fortune. Eventually I got a big jar that was on special but when I got home I realised that it doesn't say Roasted Red Peppers, it says Marinated Red Peppers. Do you think they would work? (The ingredients of the marinade are just water, vinegar, salt and 'spices').
I bet I would def. like this dish!
On a side note...I am in despereate need of pine nuts. I can't find them anywhere! Our stores around here suck most of the time.
Sheesh!
Yet another item I will have to ask my herb and spicy lady for.
:)
Thanks for posting.
Harmonia: I was fortunate enough to find pine nuts in our grocery store's bulk section so I grabbed about 1 cup worth. I should have paid attention to the price because it ended up being $8!! Yikes. I will definitely have to try this recipe now that I have pine nuts around that are worth their weight in gold! :)
I've been really happy lately to find pine nuts in the supermarket for much less than they used to cost. I can get a whole bag of them for around $3 now. In the produce section, there's this shelf with different nuts, seasonings, and gourmet type items, but the pine nuts are a bargain!
In France people usually eat asparagus boiled in water and diped in a double cream. Your vegan recipe is so more delicious !
this is an old post so i'm not sure if you'll read this comment, but.. susan, do you think if i make this tonight (thursday), it'll be okay to serve at the beach on saturday, or should i make it that morning?
Tamara, I think it will be fine, though for the freshest taste, I'd personally wait until closer to serving.
I made this tonight and it was fantastic. I had never had pesto before (I'm allergic to milk, and most pesto is made with parmesan cheese) and I couldn't believe how tasty it was! I tossed in a can of chickpeas for some protien, and it was excellent.
Susan, my bf adn I have made several recipes from your site adn have yet to be disappointed. This was good for dinner last tonight, but today for lunch it was divine. The flavors really developed over night and it was superior cold. My bf's one complaint, not enough asparagus. I promised that next time I would use another bunch and put all of it in. There was plenty of pest to go around.
I am eating this right now, with some browned lite tofu thrown in. Very good!
this looks sooo delicious.
i've been looking for something like this to make for my boyfriend and i - aparagus, what a no brainer!
i think i am going to roast the asparagus first like the veggie salad at whole foods.
also, alanna - what spot in dallas? thats where i live!
thank you for this recipe!
Hi! I make a similar recipe, however I use spinach instead of asparagas in my pesto and add peas at the end. I will definitely try this recipe!! It sounds delicious and I'm always looking for a new twist to an old favorite
I realize I'm about a year late trying this recipe but I made it last night (served hot, with some grape tomatoes thrown in) and it was dynamite! I was shocked that a pesto with no oil could taste so incredible. Plus, preparation was so easy that I will be making it often. THANK YOU!
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