orecchiette pasta
Meals need to be quick and delicious for me this time of year. When spring hits, I’m in the yard more than the kitchen. This orecchiette pasta has the best pea pesto sauce that takes just a couple of minutes. Yes, you read that correctly. A sauce takes just a few minutes! A perfect meal in no time!
INGREDIENTS
– 12 oz asparagus, cleaned and trimmed
– 1/2 tbsp olive oil
– 3 oz prosciutto
– 1 lb orecchiette
– 1 1/2 cup peas, frozen or thawed
– 1 cup prepared pesto
– 2 tsp lemon zest
– 2 oz Parmesan cheese, grated
– 6 leaves fresh basil, torn
INSTRUCTIONS
For the asparagus:
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Cut asparagus into bite-size pieces, approximately each spear in thirds. Spread on a baking sheet in an even layer. Drizzle with olive oil and place pieces of prosciutto over the top. Roast in the oven until the asparagus is crisp-tender and the prosciutto is crispy, 12-15 minutes.
Remove from oven and set aside until pasta is prepared.
For the pasta:
In an 8-quart stockpot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add 1 ½ tbsp salt. Pour in the pasta and return to a low boil. Cook until the pasta is al dente, 10-12 minutes.
Once cooked, reserve 1 cup of the cooking water and drain the pasta. Return to the stockpot and add the sauce (see below) and lemon zest. Stir to combine, adding reserved cooking water 1 tbsp at a time to achieve the desired texture. Add prepared asparagus and prosciutto. Top with fresh parmesan and basil.
For the sauce:
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. Warm the peas with the pasta or in a separate saucepan. Cook the peas in boiling water for 1 minute. Remove from water and combine with the pesto. Blend the pesto and peas together using an immersion blender or countertop blender.
