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.