Roasted Asparagus and Cherry Tomato Pasta
A creamy summer pasta dish with spiced roasted asparagus and sweet cherry tomatoes. The flavors and textures in this recipe make it an extra satisfying meatless dinner packed with fresh produce!
Ingredients
- olive oil
- 11 oz (310 g) rigatoni, penne or fusilli
- 2 cups (300 g) cherry tomatoes , halved
- 1 lb (450 g) asparagus
- 1 tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ lemon, for juicing and zesting
- ½ red onion, finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 2-3 pinches chili or red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- ¼ cup (60 ml) white wine
- ½ cup (50 g) parmesan or another Italian hard cheese
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy (double) cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200c / 400F. While the oven preheats, prep all your sauce ingredients and measure out your pasta. Once things get going with this recipe, there isn't a lot of spare time so having this all done upfront will help.
- Get the tomatoes roasting first. Scatter them in a baking dish, drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in the lower middle shelf in the oven.
- Prep the aspargaus. Trim off the woody ends and slice into 3-4 pieces per stalk. Toss with oil, season with salt and pepper and place in the oven for 15-20mins (the lower end for finer asparagus and the higher end for thicker stems). Since the cherry tomatoes have had a little head start, the timings should align for them being ready at the same time.
- While the asparagus and tomatoes roast, prepare the sauce. Over a low-medium heat, saute the onions until soft, and then add the garlic, Italian seasoning and chili flakes. Saute for a few more moments until fragrant. Add the tomato paste, mix through and add the wine. Allow the wine to bubble over a low heat for a few minutes until the harsh alcohol scent mellows out.
- While the sauce cooks down, set the pasta boiling according to package instructions.
- Return to the sauce. Add the cream and cheese to the sauce, season with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside, off the heat.
- Check in on the asparagus. Once it's starting to brown around the edges, take it out of the oven and add the fennel seeds, smoked paprika and a few grates of lemon zest. Place back in the oven for another 2-3 minutes.
- By now the tomatoes should be burst, reduced in size and jammy. Remove from the oven and pour into the pan with the sauce - make sure to pour all the tasty oils and juices in too!
- Once the pasta is ready, drain it but reserve a cupful of the cooking water. Add it to the sauce, then add the asparagus. It is likely that the timelines won't work out perfectly here - don't worry. If the asparagus is done too early, let it sit in at the bottom of the oven (with the heat turned off) until the pasta cooks. If the pasta is ready before the asparagus, toss it with the sauce and just make sure to keep the pasta cooking water to hand to thin it back out if it thickens too much while waiting around.
- Toss it all together and add a little pasta cooking water to thin out the sauce as needed.
- Serve immediately with additional cheese for topping and a squeeze of lemon if desired.
