Are you looking for a new pasta recipe? Try this tagliatelle with asparagus and a delicious green pea sauce. Tagliatelle, the long, flat, ribbon-style pasta is the queen of the pasta made with egg. This type of pasta comes originally from Bologna. However, it is a very common type of pasta in all central and north regions of Italy.
You can find it in almost all stores, either fresh or dry. Usually, they come in a form of nests or straight (like spaghetti). Probably you’ve seen also other colours like green (spinach), red (tomato) or black (squid ink). They are all delicious and easy to cook. Tagliatelle is a perfect kind of pasta that stays firm also after cooking. Moreover, it goes perfectly with a little bit denser sauces and it can also be served next to veal, pork or rabbit meat.
Oh, one more thing before the recipe. I’ve read a funny story about tagliatelle. Apparently, there is a legend saying the creator of tagliatelle had found his inspiration in his wife’s long blond hair. I can totally imagine that.
Ingredients for two portions of tagliatelle with asparagus:
- 200g tagliatelle (I used dry ones)
- 9-10 white asparagus (or green)
- 1 shallot
- 1 garlic clove
- 100g green peas (frozen)
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- salt
Prepare a deep pot for the tagliatelle, a small pan for the green peas sauce and a larger pan for the asparagus. This dish is really quick to prepare. You will need about 6-7 minutes for the pasta, 3-4 minutes for the asparagus and 4 minutes for the sauce. If you are good at multitasking, then you can prepare all together at the same time. If this is not the case, then make one thing after another.
First thing, clean and peel the asparagus. They tend to get a little tough, especially when they are not young. So, peel them and then chop off the wooden part at the bottom. That’s really unpleasant to chew.
Pour some water in the deep pot and bring it to boil. In the meantime, talking about asparagus, I first blanched three asparagus and then the rest. Why only three? Since those three go into the sauce, I didn’t want the others to get overcooked or cold. Place the three asparagus in the larger pan and cover with 1 cm of hot water. Let it simmer for 4 minutes.
At the same time drizzle the oil in the small pan and once it gets warm add the chopped onion and garlic. Cook for 1 minute, then add the frozen peas and cook for another 2 minutes. Moreover, put everything, together with the three chopped asparagus and a pinch of salt, in a bowl and purée until you get a nice smooth consistency. You can also add a little water if you prefer a more runny consistency rather than thick. To keep it warm leave it on the stove on low heat.
Now, the water should be already boiling. Put the tagliatelle in the pot, sprinkle with some salt and cook for 6-7 minutes. When the pasta is cooking for three minutes, it is time to blanch the remaining asparagus. Put the whole asparagus in the large pan covered with 1cm of hot water and simmer for 4 minutes.
This is it! The amazing tagliatelle with asparagus dish is ready! Serve the tagliatelle with whole or chopped asparagus topped with the creamy green pea sauce. This dish is perfect for a quick lunch or a weeknight dinner. You can combine tagliatelle with many other sauces of your choice.
Enjoy!
