Pasta with Asparagus, Peas, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Try this Pasta with Asparagus, Peas and Sun-Dried Tomatoes recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Pasta with Asparagus, Peas and Sun-Dried Tomatoes recipe, or contribute your own.
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 11 ounces or 3/4 pound ( 320 grams) of any short pasta
- 20 stalks of asparagus
- 1 cup fresh green peas
- 20 sun-dried tomatoes (packed in olive oil) drained
- 1 clove garlic peeled and slightly crushed with the flat s
- fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 small bunch of chives finely chopped
- Carbohydrate 8.3692 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 13.7499000273894 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 3.4545 g
- Saturated Fat 1.90818000378192 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (142g)
- Sodium 1.74000000054779 mg
- Sugar 8.3692 g
- Trans Fat 0.431730000741703 g
- Calories 167 calories
Step-by-step
- Place a large, covered pot of salted water over high heat to boil for the pasta.
- Wash and dry the asparagus and snap off the woody ends. Cut the asparagus stalks into 3- to 4-inch pieces. Mix the asparagus pieces and peas and steam them together until just tender. Drain well and transfer to large serving bowl.
- Chop the drained sun-dried tomatoes into approximately 1-inch pieces and add to the serving bowl together with the garlic clove.
- Mix to combine the vegetables. Drizzle the vegetables with the extra-virgin olive oil, mix well to evenly coat all the vegetables, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- When the water reaches a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook to al dente. Drain the pasta well and transfer it to the serving bowl. Mix well to distribute the vegetables evenly, adding another spoonful of extra-virgin olive oil, if necessary. Remove and discard the garlic clove.
- Serve, sprinkling chopped chives over each serving as a garnish.
Operating within a strict thirty-minute window requires synchronizing boiling water with gentle steam cooking so that neither component sits too long and loses texture. Short pasta shapes like penne or fusilli offer optimal surface area for catching bits of sun-dried tomato and olive oil without overwhelming the crisp bite of green vegetables. Although this dish relies on pantry staples and fresh produce rather than specialized kitchen gadgets, mastering the exact moment when starch meets heat determines whether the final plate succeeds or fails.
Judging Doneness Without a Thermometer
Determining pasta doneness relies entirely on visual and textural cues rather than digital timers or probes. Pull a single piece of pasta from the boiling water at the lower end of the package instructions, bite directly through the center to inspect the cross-section, and look for a tiny white dot of uncooked flour surrounded by translucent gelatinized starch. Asparagus stalks require a similar tactile assessment; piercing the thickest part of the stem with the tip of a paring knife should yield slight resistance rather than sliding through mush. Peas are fully cooked when they float to the surface of the steamer basket and turn a vibrant, bright emerald green.
- Refrigerate leftover dressed pasta in an airtight container for up to three days, though the vegetables will soften considerably.
- Add a splash of hot water or reserved pasta cooking liquid before gently reheating portions on the stovetop to restore the emulsified oil coating.
- Avoid freezing this specific mixture because thawed asparagus and peas lose their cellular structure and turn excessively watery.
