The Best Spring Pasta
You've got to love a vegetarian dish that incorporates bacon, right? Skip it for a truly meatless pasta dinner, but I love it for the perfect amount of salty flavor.
I’ll eat most produce year-round, but asparagus is one I only enjoy in season and let me tell you, I make this pasta recipe as much as I can during that short time. This is a delicious way to use my favorite spring vegetable!!
Speaking of favorite veggies – arugula can be a tricky gal to tame, but she’s the perfect compliment here. Keep it to the side until plating. You’re going to have plenty of leftovers and you don’t want the greens to get soggy.
Ingredients
3 cups short pasta
1 cup peas
3 slices bacon
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and chopped into 2 in. segments
Salt to taste
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp flour
1 cup white wine
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ tsp pepper
2 cups arugula
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
¼ cup grated parmesan
Instructions
Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Add the peas to the water with four minutes of cooking time remaining. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining. Set both aside.
Cook the bacon over medium heat in a large skillet until crispy. Place on paper towels and crumble when cooled.
Meanwhile, remove most of the bacon fat from the pan (leaving a good coating) and return to medium heat. Add the asparagus and a pinch of salt and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.
Using the pot that cooked the noodles, melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Whisk in the flour and cook for another 30 seconds. Whisk in the reserved pasta water, wine, cream, and salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes or until thickened. Add the pasta, peas, and asparagus into the pan. Sprinkle in red pepper flakes. Toss to coat.
To serve, combine each portion with a 1/2 cup of arugula, a bit of parmesan, and a sprinkling of chopped bacon.
Notes
I really like orecchiette pasta in this dish, but it can be a bear find. Any small sized pasta works just fine.
DAIRY-FREE
Skip the heavy cream and parm. Keep a little extra bacon fat in with the asparagus instead.
VEGGIE LOVERS
Replace the bacon with chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Use 1 tbsp of the oil from the jar of SDT to sauté the asparagus.
Add more veggies in place of pasta. I think this would be good with as little as 1 cup of pasta if looking for more of a salad entrée than pasta entrée.
MEAT LOVERS
Slices of grilled chicken breast would be delightful in this dish. As would a fruit-y or herb-y sausage, like chicken and apple cut into bite-sized pieces.