Asparagus Pesto Pasta

It’s fresh asparagus season. If you are lucky enough to be able to get local, fresh asparagus here is one of my favourite pasta recipes that is great with fresh asparagus.

When I can’t get fresh, local asparagus I use frozen. You can also add, or substitute, green or yellow beans.

Using fresh or local vegetables is the best way to get all the nutrients. If you can’t choose local, frozen is the next best thing as frozen vegetables are flash frozen immediately after picking. These vegetables don’t lose any nutritional value when travelling. Don’t be afraid to substitute frozen vegetables if you can’t buy local. If you choose organic vegetables often the frozen ones are less expensive than fresh organic ones.

Asparagus is a flowering grass. The asparagus shoots are what we eat when they grow every spring. Asparagus is high in fibre, folate and a good source of Vitamin A and K.

Ingredients:

one package (454 grams) organic whole wheat pasta, I like Rummo Italian Pasta

one bunch of fresh or 2 cups frozen asparagus cut into 5-10 cm spears

1-2 cups of sliced green or yellow beans (fresh or frozen)

1 can of drained, unsalted white beans, chickpeas are also good if you don’t have white beans

1 cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half

1 cup drained olives

1 can drained and quartered artichoke hearts

1/4 – 1/2 cup olive oil

2-3 cloves of garlic chopped

2-3 tsp red pepper flakes

fresh ground pepper

Vegan Pesto

Directions:

Bring water to a boil and add pasta, cook according to directions. 3-5 minutes before the pasta is cooked add asparagus, green or yellow beans and white beans. Cook until pasta is done and vegetables are hot and still crunchy. About another 5 minutes.

Drain pasta and leave in colander.

In the pasta pot, add 1/4 cup of olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add cherry tomatoes, olives, artichokes and cook until warm.

Add pasta, vegetables and beans back into the pot with olive oil, tomatoes and olives. Mix well, add vegan pesto and if needed the rest of the olive oil

Serve hot or cold, as it makes a great pasta salad too.