I completely lost it with this charred corn asparagus pasta with brown butter breadcrumbs. It’s so good, I can eat it every week.
Side view of spaghetti with corn and asparagus on a white plate
I have been obsessed with brown butter croutons ever since Jessica posted them. That and the fact that she brings back the Caesar salad, which has gotten such a bad rep these last years, and is still a freaking awesome thing to eat.
But it’s all about the brown butter + old bread. By now, we all know brown butter, or beurre noisette if you want to be international, rules.
I’m also beyond happy with how this pasta recipe turned out; after the bacon, miso, and carrot pasta fiasco – if you remember I made enough for two meals and a friend ate all of it in minutes, leaving me with nothing – this time I made enough for four people, hungry four. By the third day, I was still opening the refrigerator with a smile knowing I would have a plate of this for dinner.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound green asparagus⠀
- 2 corn on the cobb, husk and silk removed⠀
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil⠀
- 3 garlic cloves⠀
- Salt⠀
- 16 oz. penne or pasta of choice⠀
- 3/4 cup pesto⠀
- (Homemade or store-bought)⠀
- A few tbsp of pasta water⠀
- Juice of 1 lemon⠀
- Lemon zest (optional)⠀
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Method:
Preheat oven to 425 F.⠀
Rinse asparagus, cut off the woody end pieces, and prepare corn.⠀
Mince garlic very finely (or press it), and mix it with olive oil.
Rub garlic oil all over the asparagus and corn, season with salt, and place asparagus on a lined baking sheet.⠀
Wrap corn in some tin foil, and roast it for 15 minutes.⠀
After 15 minutes add asparagus to the oven, and roast everything for another 15 minutes. (Note: Reduce asparagus roasting time to 10-12 min if the stalks are fairly thin)
In the meantime prepare pasta according to package directions. Reserve some of the pasta water before draining.
When asparagus and corn are done, cut asparagus into bite-sized pieces, and slice off the corn kernels with a sharp knife.
Mix hot pasta with pesto, asparagus and corn, lemon juice and some of the zest.⠀
If needed, add some pasta water, and season to taste with salt and black pepper.⠀
Enjoy!⠀
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Optional: sprinkle with some vegan parmesan⠀
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Pesto:
1/2 cup basil, packed⠀
2 large handful of baby spinach⠀
1/2 cup cashews⠀
12 olives⠀
1/4 cup nutritional yeast⠀
A few garlic cloves⠀
Salt⠀⠀
Add everything to a food processor and mix until combined. Makes the exact amount needed for this recipe!
