If there is one must to eat during spring season, for sure this is asparagus. This because fresh white asparagus is only available during these few months. So you have to take your chance. But of course you cannot always eat Flemish asparagus. So to bring a bit of variation on the menu we made Italian asparagus pasta passata. Moreover you may check many more surprising.asparagus recipes further down in the article.

How to make Italian asparagus pasta passata?

First and foremost: Italian asparagus pasta passata is very easy to make. This recipe is ready within half an hour. It is a vegetarian recipe, but if you want you can serve it with some prosciutto or some other fine Italian meat.

The preparations

The preparations for this surprising Italian pasta are really very easy. We peel the asparagus and cut off the bottom. This because the wooden part is often a bit chewy. We also finely chop the garlic cloves. Ready we are already!

Making the passata sauce

Then we start making the passata sauce. We heat a little olive oil in a pan and then let the garlic fry briefly. Then we add the white wine and let it reduce a bit. Next we add the passata and the cream. Mix everything well and bring the passata sauce to the boil. To further flavor the sauce, we now season it with ground Pecorino, pepper and salt. Now let it simmer slowly and reduce to increase the heavenly flavor.

Cooking the penne and the asparagus

While the passata is simmering, we can cook the pasta and asparagus. I usually use penne or spirelli for this Italian asparagus pasta passata. But of course you can also use other types of pasta. Cook them as directed on the packaging. This usually is about 10 minutes.

Also the asparagus will need about ten minutes to cook. This is somewhat dependent on the thickness. Where thinner ones may cook a little faster, thicker asparagus may need a little more. You have special asparagus pans in which you can cook them upright. However, I do this in my largest pan. The asparagus fit exactly into it.

Finish and serve

When the pasta is cooked, we drain it. You can collect the cooking water to reuse it later. Then we put the penne back in the pot. And we mix it with half of the passata sauce. We then serve the penne over the deep plates and arrange the cooked asparagus on it. Finally we finish the Italian asparagus pasta passata with some of the remaining passata, Parmesan flakes and a few leaves of basil. This dish is best enjoyed with a glass of white wine. We've just opened a bottle anyway for the passata sauce.

But what exactly is passata?

Passata is the Italian word for a sauce of strained tomatoes, without the skins and seeds. It is the perfect base for soups and sauces. Super healthy, and it is closest to tomato juice. Although passata is Italian for puree, don't confuse it with tomato paste. Tomato paste is a concentrated product of which you only need a small amount to flavor your dishes. You should always bake tomato puree first to release the flavors.

If you want to learn more about passata you may want to read the following articles:

More surprising.asparagus

Asparagus are the star of spring. During this short window of only a few months, you really have to eat them as much as possible. In many different recipes. Please find here some more inspiration for surprising asparagus recipes:

Asparago tonnato. (with tuna fish sauce).
Asparagus cordon bleu.
Passionate asparagus.
Asparagus by Belgian law.
Flemish asparagus.

More surprising.Italian

Italian cuisine is worldwide famous. Easy recipes with a few quality ingredients that make a heavenly taste. No surprise we have a lot Italian inspired recipes here on surprising.recipes:

If you speak Dutch, you can find the Dutch version of this recipe on gerechtenweb.blog.