Penne Wricotta Asparagus Recipes

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with enough salt that the water tastes salty. Add the asparagus and cook until tender but still firm, about 4 minutes. Lift out the asparagus with tongs and transfer to an ice bath. Cut into 1/8 -inch slices, leaving tips intact.
• Bring the water back to a boil and add the penne.
• Meanwhile, rub a large serving bowl with the garlic. Add the ricotta, olive oil and 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water; blend. When the pasta is done, drain it (reserving some water) and add it to the ricotta mixture. Top with the asparagus and half the Parmesan cheese, then fold everything together. Season to taste, adding some reserved pasta water if needed. Divide among 4 shallow bowls and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add a generous amount of salt. Add the asparagus. Cook pencil-thin asparagus for two minutes, three to four minutes if stems are medium-thick. Transfer to a bowl of ice-cold water. Drain and set aside.
• Place the ricotta in a large pasta bowl.
• Bring the water back to a boil, and add the pasta. Cook al dente, following the directions for timing on the package but checking a minute before the suggested cooking time. Stir 1/3 cup of the pasta cooking water into the ricotta. Drain the pasta and toss at once with the olive oil and ricotta, the arugula, asparagus and Parmesan. Serve hot.

Steps:

• Set a large pot of cold water to boil. Once it reaches a rolling boil, add a pinch of salt and let return to a full boil.
• After washing the asparagus and cutting away any woody ends, boil them in the water just until you can penetrate the thick end of 1 of the stalks by stabbing it with a fork. Lift out the asparagus but continue to let the water boil. Cut off the tips of the asparagus and reserve. Chop the asparagus stalks into 1-inch pieces and then puree either in a manual food mill or in a blender or food processor. The result should be a thick cream.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan and then add the prosciutto bits, sauteing just until they give off a little fragrance. Then stir in the asparagus puree and, moments later, the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Cook gently, taking care that the sauce does not boil.
• At this point, toss the penne into the pot of boiling water. Cook for 8 minutes or according to package instructions. Once penne is cooked, drain water and place penne in a warm bowl.
• While the penne is cooking, add the asparagus tips and some of the cream to the sauce. You do not want to make the sauce too liquid, so only add as much cream as will give the sauce a velvety texture.
• Once the penne is cooked, spoon the sauce on and toss. Serve on individual plates with a pinch more Parmigiano-Reggiano on top an

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of light salted water to a boil for cooking the penne.
• Stir together the ricotta, 1/4 cup of the parmesan, parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl until smooth.
• Add the penne to the boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally for 4 minutes. Add the asparagus and cook until the penne is al dente (Do not overcook penne) and the asparagus is tender, 4 to 5 minutes longer. Reserve 1/3 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta and asparagus and place in a large bowl.
• Add 1/3 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water to the ricotta mixture, whisking until smooth. Toss the pasta with the ricotta sauce.
• Pass the remaining parmesan separately.
• One serving is 11/2 cups.
• VARIATION: Penne with Spinach, Ricotta, and Lemon.
• In step 3 omit the asparagus; cook the penne for 8 to10 minutes. While the penne is cooking, cook one 10 ounce (300-gram) package of frozen spinach according to package directions. In step 4 Toss the penne with the ricotta sauce and spinach.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
• In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the asparagus, season with the salt and pepper, and cook for 3 minutes until slightly soft. Add the cherry tomatoes and peas. Cook for 2 minutes. Pour the stock into the pan and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook until the tomatoes start to burst and the stock is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer the asparagus mixture to a large serving bowl. Add the cooked pasta and 1/2 of the Parmesan. Toss well, adding reserved pasta water, if needed, to loosen the pasta. Garnish with the remaining Parmesan and chopped basil.

Steps:

• Bring large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta; stir to prevent sticking. Cook pasta until just tender, according to package directions, about 10 minutes. Drain well.
• Meanwhile, in large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 to 7 minutes.
• Stir in tomato sauce and half-and-half or soymilk, increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Add asparagus and tarragon and reduce heat to low. Partially cover and cook until asparagus are tender and sauce is slightly thickened, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Add pasta to asparagus mixture along with salt and pepper. Toss until well coated. Serve hot.

Steps:

• Combine the pasta, onions, garlic, asparagus, broth and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture boils, 7 to 10 minutes. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes.
• Stir in the frozen peas and continue to cook until the pasta is al dente and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 2 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the pasta to serving bowls and top with dollops of ricotta and a sprinkling of Parmesan. Garnish with basil leaves and serve.

Steps:

• Cook the pasta according to package directions, omitting any oil or butter.
• Two to four minutes before the pasta is done, add the asparagus to the water (2 minutes for thin spears, 4 minutes for thick). Before draining, reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water in a small bowl. Drain the pasta.
• Meanwhile, add the garlic, ricotta, and olive oil to a large serving bowl. As soon as the pasta is drained, mix in 1/3 cup of the reserved pasta water. Immediately add the pasta and asparagus and gently toss until the pasta and asparagus are coated with the cheese mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Gently toss again. If the mixture seems too dry, add more reserved pasta water, about 1/4 cup at a time, until no longer dry. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the pasta and sprinkle with the red pepper flakes, if desired. Serve immediately.
• nutrition information
• Each (about 2-cup) serving has:
• Calories: 318
• Protein: 15g
• Carbohydrates: 60g
• Fat: 7g
• Saturated Fat: 2g
• Cholesterol: 18mg
• Fiber: 9g
• Sodium: 183mg