Spring Pasta

If you've read my other recent food posts, you'll know that I love asparagus.  This is another delicious dish I have just tried.  I've linked to the original, which I am sure would be wonderful, however I had to modify to what was in my cupboard.  I try not to run out to the store for extra ingredients if I can avoid it.

Asparagus & Pea Pasta

Ingredients

• 1 bunch asparagus
• 1/2 cup plain Greek-style yogurt
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled, but left whole 
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 3 slices back bacon (optional)
• 25g parmesan, grated
• 250g pasta, any shape/kind you have

1. Cut (or snap) off and discard the woody ends of the asparagus, then neatly cut the tips away from the stalks. Keep the tips and stalks separate. In a small saucepan heat the yogurt, milk and garlic to just below a boil. Take off the heat, set the pan aside. 
2. Dice bacon and cook.  Set aside. 
3. Cook the asparagus stalks in boiling salted water for about 4-5 mins until tender, drain, then tip into the milk mixture with the grated parmesan. Blitz with a hand blender (or a Cuisinart) until smooth.
4. Cook the pasta according to pack instructions, then throw in the tips and frozen peas (get crazy and add extra veg you want!) 2 mins before the end of cooking time. Gently reheat the milk mixture, drain pasta, then tip into a bowl with the milk mixture. Add in bacon.  Toss, divide into pasta bowls, top with parmesan shavings if desired and serve. 

The hubby and I LOVED this dish. It is fast, healthy, and satisfying! A few days later I was wanting to relive the goodness of this dish, so I came up with another one, for lunch.

What I did was to cook enough pasta for one bowl (ok, I made a bit too much) for my lunch.  When the pasta was almost done I added some frozen peas and frozen spinach to the water.  Then I drained it all and added it back into the warm pot.  I added about 1/2-1 tbs butter and some grated parmesan cheese.  Then I chopped a hard boiled egg onto the pasta, sprinkled with salt and pepper and tucked in.  It was great, filling, and fast (I already had some eggs boiled).