Penne with ricotta and asparagus! Easy spring pasta with asparagus, ricotta and parmesan cheese, garlic and a sprinkling of nutmeg.
With California asparagus selling for less than $4 a pound, it’s hard to resist, especially when the summer weather is knocking at the door.
I ripped this Asparagus and Ricotta Cheese Pasta recipe from The New York Times magazine a few weeks ago, where it found its way under a pile of bills, magazines, and other recipes until today, it became my excuse for not having it happy to buy Some are sure to be the last asparagus of the season.
It’s a bit heavy on the noodles, you could easily cut it back. You can also jazz it up a bit by adding lemon zest, sliced cherry tomatoes, or even some Italian sausage.
Penne with ricotta and asparagus
ingredients
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Salt
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1 1/4 lb tight asparaguswoody ends trimmed
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1 lb penne
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1 clove garlicpeeled and mashed
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fifteen ounces Ricotta cheese
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2 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
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2/3 Cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
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Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
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nutmeg
method
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Blanch the asparagus:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. (You cook both the asparagus and pasta in the same pot of water.) Add a few teaspoons of salt. Have an ice bath ready. Add the asparagus and cook until tender but firm, about 4 minutes.
Remove the asparagus with tongs and place in the ice bath to stop cooking.
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Cut asparagus:
in 1/8″ diagonal slices, with the tips intact.
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Cook pasta:
Bring the water back to a boil and add the penne pasta.
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Prepare Ricotta Sauce:
While the penne is cooking, rub the inside of a large serving bowl with the crushed garlic. Discard the garlic. Add the ricotta, olive oil, and 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water. Mix together in the bowl.
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Add pasta with asparagus and Parmesan to the ricotta mixture:
When the noodles are done, drain, reserving some of the cooking water. Add the penne to the ricotta mixture. Fold in the asparagus and half the parmesan.
Season to taste with salt, pepper and a few dashes of nutmeg. Add some of the reserved pasta water if needed.
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Serve with remaining grated Parmesan:
in a separate bowl for sprinkling.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 491 | calories |
| 21g | Fat |
| 49g | carbohydrates |
| 27g | protein |
