Spring time means one thing to my husband: Asparagus season. Since he’s the cook in this house, we’ll be enjoying many meals that include this delicious little stem in the weeks to come. Yesterday he came home with our first fresh batch of the season, and I found this roasted vegetable linguine recipe in an old Vegetarian Times magazine for us to try.
I am of the opinion that you can’t go wrong with a wine sauce, and the red pepper flakes in this recipe gave it just the right amount of heat.
We didn’t alter the original recipe at all, except that since I don’t eat mushrooms, my husband roasted half the veggies without including the mushrooms. He says the mushroom version was delicious, and I say the non-mushroom version was also delicious. We both agreed that the asparagus was wonderful.
Roasted Asparagus Linguine
Recipe from Vegetarian Times
2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms
1/2 lb fresh asparagus cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces
1 small onion, coarsely chopped (1 cup)
2 tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tbs)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 pkg whole wheat pasta
1/2 cup torn fresh basil leaves
1) preheat oven to 450-degrees. Toss together mushrooms, asparagus, onion, oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in large roasting pan. Roast 20 minutes, or until mushrooms and onions begin to brown, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
2) Add tomatoes to pan and roast 7-10 minutes more, or until tomatoes shrivel and soften. Transfer vegetables to bowl. Add wine to roasting pan, stirring to scrape off any stuck-on bits from bottom of pan. Place roasting pan on burner over medium heat, and simmer 2-3 minutes, or until wine has evaporated by half; or return roasting pan to oven 5 minutes and let wine cook off.
3) Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta and reserve 1/2 cup cooking water. Stir reserved cooking water into reduced wine in roasting pan.
4) Return pasta to pot. Add wine mixture and vegetables, and toss over medium low heat until heated through. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Stir in torn fresh basil leaves and serve immediately.
Are you ready for summer fruits and veggies? I know we are looking forward to switching from our standard winter fare to some lighter meals.
Enjoy!
~julee~
