This pasta with asparagus and sun dried tomatoes is a quick and easy spring pasta dish featuring sautéed asparagus and finely minced sun dried tomatoes, tossed with a flavorful lemon basil dressing.
With asparagus season winding down, I thought I’d share one more asparagus recipe. This is a quick and easy recipe that comes together in under 30 minutes. Sautéed asparagus is tossed with pasta, minced sun dried tomatoes, a dusting of parmesan cheese and a lemony basil dressing.
Asparagus comes in many sizes – from thick to thin. I used a thick asparagus in this recipe. If you are using a thinner stalk, you’ll need to cook it for less time.
I always thought that a thick stalk of asparagus meant that it had grown for a longer time than the thin kind. It turns out it’s the age of the asparagus crown – the root bed of the asparagus plant. The older the crown, the bigger and thicker the stalks of asparagus.
I have a love hate relationship with sun dried tomatoes. I love its robust taste, but I hate how chewy it can be. Then I realized I just needed to finely mince the sun dried tomatoes and that eliminates the chewy problem.
Sun dried tomatoes come in two forms – oil packed or dried. I find the oil packed ones quicker and easier to work with so that’s what I used in this recipe.
A couple of notes:
- Like all fast pasta recipes, the key is to do all the prep work first. So while the water is coming to a boil, chop, mince and grate all the ingredients and have them all prepped and ready to go.
- I used a thick asparagus stalk. If you use the thin kind you will need to cook the asparagus for a shorter amount of time. You want the asparagus to be tender but not overcooked.
Pasta with Asparagus and Sun Dried Tomatoes
Pasta with asparagus and sun dried tomatoes. A quick and easy spring pasta recipe featuring asparagus and sun dried tomatoes with a lemon basil dressing.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: 2 to 4 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked pasta – about half a box of pasta – I used rigatoni
- 1 veggie bouillon cube
- 1 bunch of asparagus – about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds – tough ends snapped off – cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic – minced
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 to 3 tbs sun dried tomatoes – I used the kind that was packed in oil – minced
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup of finely grated parmesan cheese
Dressing
- 1/2 large lemon – about 1 1/2 to 2 tbs of lemon juice
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 small garlic clove – put through a press or finely minced
- 1 to 2 tbs finely minced fresh basil
- 5 twists of pepper from a pepper mill
- A pinch of salt
Instructions
- Prep all your ingredients as you bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Snap off the tough ends of asparagus and discard. Cut the asparagus into bite sized pieces. Set aside.
- Finely mince sun dried tomatoes and set aside.
- Grate parmesan cheese and set aside.
- Mince garlic and set aside.
- Mince basil and set aside.
- Make dressing by whisking together lemon juice, 2 tbs olive oil, 1 clove of minced garlic, minced basil, black pepper and salt. Set aside.
- Once the water is boiling, add pasta and bouillon cube. Cook according to package instructions.
- While the pasta is cooking, add 1 tbs olive oil to a large sauté pan over high heat. Add cut up asparagus, two cloves of minced garlic and red pepper flakes to the sauté pan. Stir for one minute over high heat, turn down heat to medium low, cover sauté pan with lid and cook asparagus for 4 minutes – stirring occasionally.
- When the pasta is ready, drain and add to the asparagus. Add minced sun dried tomatoes and lemon basil dressing and stir until combined. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and gently toss before serving.
Kim
This recipe is so simple and light – perfect for a summer night when you need something quick. Also easy to make in bulk if you’re serving others. Highly recommend – have already shared with several friends.
★★★★★
Geraldine
Hey Kim – so glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for leaving a review and 5 star rating! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Sheila
Hardly ever use minced sun dried tomatoes, turns out they are great on rotelle pasta, get into all the swirly bits,
Lovely photo of final dish.
★★★★★
Geraldine
I love this dish – it’s the perfect time to make it since asparagus is in the market right now for a super low price. Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for leaving a comment and rating!
Wanda Ballesteros
Love, love , love this dish. I will be making more often. Thanks
Geraldine
Thanks so much, Wanda! So glad you enjoyed it!
Eddie Lentz
Really yummy recipe. However, i added shrimp and cooked it with the asparagus at the same time. I also added the tomatoes, additional salt and pepper at that time. I also added more basil other than what was called for in the dressing which was added later. It turned out scrumptious. I had occasionally add a little bit of water when cooking the asparagus and shrimp together. 4 tbs perhaps.
Geraldine
Thanks so much, Eddie. So glad you enjoyed it – and thanks for letting me know how you changed it up! I love when readers let me know how they made the recipe work for them!
Jane
I roasted the Asparagus before adding, as it brings out a wonderful flavor. Used thin spaghetti. Excellent recipe and will use this often. Thanks so much!
Geraldine
Thanks so much for letting me know, Jane – so glad it worked out for you. Love the idea of roasted asparagus – I’m going to try that the next time I make it!
Robyn @ Simply Fresh Dinners
You are my one pot pasta dish hero, Geraldine! Just loving the fresh local asparagus and combining it with pasta, tomatoes and a great lemon dressing is fantastic!
When I use thin asparagus in salads, I just peel the outer layer and serve it raw – tastes perfect 🙂
Adding this to next week’s Healthy Meal Plan! Sharing. Have a great Sunday.
Geraldine
Thanks so much, Robyn! And I really appreciate all the sharing that you do! I have to try peel thin asparagus – sounds delicious.