Mondays always seem to be meatless and pasta heavy dinners. Is it the start of the work week? The late calls to APAC or ANZ? The need for comfort food as a reward after making it through Monday? To be honest, probably all of the above.
It’s spring – so I literally buy as much asparagus at the farmers market as we can possibly eat in a week – it’s a short season, what can I say?
Tonight’s meal was inspired by a recipe I found on Epicurious. I lightened up by reducing the oil and it still tasted wonderful!!
1 lb penne pasta
1 lb asparagus
1/4 c pine nuts
4 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1 oz olive oil
Zest & juice of one lemon
2 ozs Parmigiano-Reggiano
Preparation
In a 6- to 7-quart kettle bring about 5 quarts salted water to a boil for pasta.
Snap off woody ends from asparagus, add asparagus to boiling water and cook 4 minutes.
In a food processor pulse pine nuts and garlic, cheese, zest & lemon juice with salt until finely chopped. Add asparagus and oil and pulse until asparagus is coarsely chopped.
Transfer pesto to a large bowl. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1/3 cup pasta cooking water and drain pasta in a colander. Add pasta and reserved cooking water to pesto, tossing to coat, and season with salt and pepper.
Preparation
In a 6- to 7-quart kettle bring about 5 quarts salted water to a boil for pasta.
4 servings.
9 WW PP per serving.
cookinwithchris Blog 
I like this twist. Asparagus instead of Basil, i will have to try this.
It was great – don’t leave out the lemon it really brightened it up.