Orecchiette pasta with asparagus sauce

When spring is in full swing there is nothing better than to go to the fruit and veg shop to stock up on some seasonal vegetables. Among the best of these is undoubtedly asparagus, sweet and tender as can be. Today we suggest a pasta dish based on asparagus, avoiding the use of cream or butter but opting instead for lots of flavour and delicacy. It goes without saying then that this recipe is suitable for vegetarians, but also for those who don’t want to give up on their light diet.

Ingredients

Information
30 minutes Total time
15 minutes Active time
Serves 2 persons
Social share
Would you like to share this recipe with your friends? Have you tried it? Write us!

Send the recipe

Send this recipe to your email. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to get in touch with us.
4 + 3 ?
(Read here)

Preparation

Clean the asparagus by removing the hard part of the stem, place in a steamer and cook for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, sauté the finely chopped shallot in some extra virgin olive oil. When the asparagus is ready, cut it into small pieces leaving the tips to one side. Add the remaining pieces of asparagus to the frying pan and sauté briefly. Pour the white wine into the pan and reduce. Season with salt and take off the heat. Mix the two grated cheeses together in a bowl. Bring the water to a boil and cook the orecchiette. Add a ladle of water from the pasta to the cheese and mix well so as to create a creamy sauce. Drain the orecchiette and toss in the pan with the asparagus, then transfer both to the bowl with the creamy cheese sauce and mix well. Garnish with the asparagus tips and serve.

Tips
When the asparagus season is in full swing you really should enjoy them as much as possible: they are a very good for your health because they are rich in amino acids, vitamins, have excellent diuretic and laxative effects and are good for the cardiovascular system.
Trivia
In Italy there are eight species of asparagus, including the well-known types (green), but also white asparagus, and wild asparagus. The name comes from the Persian ‘asparag’ Cimadolmo meaning ‘shoot’ or ‘bud’.

Step by step

**Click on the photos to access full step by step!