Roasted Asparagus Pasta Salad-Adapted from The Neely's

Asparagus is probably the one vegetable my husband could eat every night of the week. He says he "loves the way I make it."  To top that off it's currently in season which means its cheaper and tastes great.  A win win all around! 

 

So when looking for a recipe to inspire my creative juices I stumbled upon The Neely's Roasted Asparagus Pasta Salad.  It looked very yummy, but right away there were a few things I knew I needed to adapt.  I can't have goat cheese, lemon juice or lemon zest.  All of which the recipe called for.  Having substituted vinegar in the past for lemon juice in recipes I thought I'd give it a try in this one.  I googled how much juice comes from a lemon and the results I found said 3 tablespoons.  Since this recipe called for half of a lemon  I used a scant 1 1/2 tablespoons.  I used a scant measurement because the mustard had vinegar in it and vinegar can be sharper then lemon.  Plus I knew I could go back and add more, but not take it out.  I left the lemon zest out and the goat cheese out (and didn't miss them).  Other then that I followed the recipe to the "T".  

 

It was a very simple and delish last minute go to recipe.  I started boiling the water and by the time the water came to a boil I had the asparagus chopped and ready to go.  The pasta and asparagus went on at the same time and cooked for the same amount of time.  Meanwhile I prepared the sauce. 

We love this recipe and with a few minor adaptations we will be enjoying it quite often. 

 

 

Roasted Asparagus Pasta Salad- As Adapted from The Neely’s

Ingredients

• 1 pound bowtie pasta
• 1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed
• Olive oil, for drizzling
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 ½ tbsp. Clear Vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh chives

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. 

While water is coming to a boil, slice asparagus on the bias into ½ inch pieces.  Place the asparagus on a sheet tray and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Place asparagus in the oven and roast for 11 minutes.  Add pasta to the boiling water and boil for 11 minutes or until al dente.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine shallot, garlic, mustard, vinegar, and red pepper flakes. Whisk in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add thinly sliced chives.  Set aside.

Drain the cooked pasta in a colander.  Once drained place in a large bowl.  Add the asparagus and drizzle with the dressing and toss.  Serve warm (although I think this recipe would taste great cold too).

(*Note- It has a kick.  Cut back on the crushed red pepper if you don't like a kick of heat)