Roasted Asparagus With Pesto Recipes

ASPARAGUS PESTO

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Add the asparagus and cook until fully tender but not mushy, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well, reserving some of the cooking liquid, and let the asparagus cool slightly.
• Transfer the asparagus to a food processor and add the garlic, pine nuts, 2 tablespoons of the oil, Parmesan, a pinch of salt and a couple of tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Process the mixture, stopping to scrape down the sides of the container if necessary, and gradually add the remaining oil and a bit more of the reserved cooking liquid to moisten if necessary. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste, pulse one last time, and serve over pasta, fish or chicken (or cover and refrigerate for up to a day).

PESTO PASTA WITH SUN DRIED TOMATOES AND ROASTED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray.
• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
• Place asparagus in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, to taste; gently toss to combine. Place into oven and roast for 8-12 minutes, or until tender but crisp. Let cool before cutting into 1-inch pieces.
• In a large bowl, combine pasta, asparagus, pesto, sun dried tomatoes and mozzarella.

PESTO AND PROSCIUTTO ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line a small rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay the prosciutto slices in a single layer on the parchment, without touching. Bake until crispy and fragrant, flipping halfway through, 18 minutes. Cool completely on the tray, then remove to a plate.
• Preheat a grill pan to medium heat. Remove the parchment from the prosciutto tray and place the asparagus on the tray. Drizzle with the pesto, season with the salt, and toss well to coat. Place the asparagus on the hot grill pan and cook, turning once, until the asparagus has nice golden grill marks and is tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 6 minutes. Transfer the asparagus to a platter, crumble the prosciutto over the top, and break the Parmesan shavings over the prosciutto. Serve warm.

ASPARAGUS PESTO PASTA

Steps:

• Cook 1 pound trimmed asparagus in salted boiling water until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to ice water to cool; drain and pat dry, then roughly chop. Puree the asparagus in a food processor with 1 cup fresh parsley, 1/2 cup fresh mint, 1/3 cup toasted unsalted pistachios, 1 garlic clove, 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper. Drizzle in 1/3 cup olive oil and puree until smooth. Toss with 1 pound cooked pasta and 3/4 cup parmesan, adding pasta cooking water as needed to loosen.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Snap or cut the dry stem ends off each asparagus and place on a heavy baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss. Roast until the asparagus is tender, about 15 minutes. Cool slightly and serve warm or at room temperature.

ASPARAGUS PESTO

Steps:

• Cut the cooked asparagus spears into thirds. Put in a food processor with the basil, pine nuts, garlic, and salt and pepper, to taste. Keep in mind you will add Parmesan as well, so be careful not to oversalt. With the machine running, slowly add the cup of olive oil. When the sauce is about the consistency of mayonnaise, it has enough oil. Pulse in the Parmesan. Thin with water, if necessary, to achieve a slick, saucy pesto. Scrape into a bowl or jar, cover, and refrigerate until needed. You should have about 3 cups. (Keeps about 2 to 3 days, refrigerated.)
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