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
(printer-friendly version)

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.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free