Louisiana Kitchen Stories
Stories, photographs, and recipes from Louisiana kitchens.
Spontaneous Pasta with roasted asparagus
I apologize in advance for having exactly zero measurements for this recipe. I woke up tired from staying up to0 late and just kind of threw together stuff I had in the pantry and fridge. Regardless, it’s pretty easy and a great way to sneak a green vegetable into a meal!
- 1 bundle thin asparagus, chopped into pieces, white ends trimmed off and discarded
- Garlic olive oil (or regular)
- 1 white onion, sliced
- Salt, pepper, sugar
- 5-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- Red pepper flakes
- 14 oz can petite diced tomatoes
- A big splash of heavy cream
- A big squeeze of refrigerated Basil paste (like this)
- 1/2 package bucatini or spaghetti, cooked according to package instructions
- A big handful of grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and toss the asparagus on a sheet pan with some garlic olive oil. Roast the asparagus for 15-20 minutes, until crispy in places and bright green in color (you can work on the rest of the dish while the asparagus is roasting).
Heat some olive oil in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add the onion and pinches of salt, pepper, and sugar. Cook over medium low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is caramelized. When the onion has caramelized, add the garlic cloves and a big pinch of red pepper flakes to the pan. Cook for a minute or two, until fragrant (if the pan is very dry before you add the garlic and red pepper flakes, add a splash of water or additional oil to the pan first). Add the tomatoes to the pan and cook over medium low heat for 10 minutes or so – some of the water from the tomatoes should cook off and the whole thing should get just a touch thicker. Add a big splash of heavy cream and the Basil paste and stir it into the tomatoes until completely combined. Taste for salt, pepper, or additional red pepper flakes. Once the cream is warmed through, take the sauce off the heat.
Add the cooked pasta and roasted asparagus to the sauce and stir to combine. Throw in a big handful of grated Parmesan cheese and serve!
Louisiana Kitchen Stories 