Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Lemony Pasta with Roasted Asparagus and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

People who say there are no seasons in LA are stupid (don't get me started on the people who say there's "no public transportation" in LA!).  Signs of spring are everywhere, from the blooming purple trees on Virgil avenue (no, they're not jacarandas yet)--which followed the magnolias on campus--to the languid restlessness of my new students ("Why are we weigh'd upon with heaviness, / And utterly consumed with sharp distress, / While all things else have rest from weariness?"), to... the ubiquity of asparagus!

Yes, no matter how mild your climate, it seems that asparagus = springtime.  In this past week, not only did I start to see California asparagus at the grocery store, but I also saw one post on asparagus recipes over at the Native Foods blog, and another one at Diet, Dessert, and Dogs.

This recipe is easy and tasty!  The sun-dried tomatoes add sweetness and chewiness to balance out the lemon and the crispy asparagus.  Chickpeas mean it's basically a one-dish meal.

Lemony Pasta with Roasted Asparagus and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Ingredients
2 servings whole wheat rotelle pasta
*
1 bunch asparagus, woody ends snapped off
olive oil
salt
2 cloves garlic, pressed
*
4 sun-dried tomatoes, drained and sliced in strips
1 c chickpeas
salt
red pepper flakes
lemon

Ingredients
1. Cook pasta.  Drain and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 450*.  Place asparagus in a roasting pan; drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and garlic.  Roast for about 10 minutes, stirring once, until vegetables are slightly tender.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.
3. Cut asparagus into bite-sized pieces.  Toss pasta, asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, and chickpeas.  Add salt and red pepper flakes, and serve with lemon wedges or sprinkle with lemon juice.
Serves about 3.

2 comments:

Christina said...

Hey! I bookmarked this a while ago, and just made it today. Delicious! I made some minor alterations -- went a little heavier on the sun-dried tomatoes and drizzled the whole thing with a little olive oil. Also, though I tried a small portion with the red pepper flakes, I ultimately decided not to go with that. This will be my lunch tomorrow, too!

Julia said...

Yay! I think the sundried tomatoes and asparagus go really well together. And, well, I put red pepper on everything except... no pretty much everything. I was going to say ice cream or cookies, but there are exceptions. Anyway, glad you liked it! :)