Penne With Asparagus and Cream Sauce

Submitted by merron-iru kami

"A beautifully simple garlicky cream sauce, roasted asparagus and whole wheat penne come together for an excellent vegetarian meal."

 

• Ready In: 30mins
• Ingredients: 13
• Serves: 8-16

ingredients

• For the pasta

• 1 lb dry penne pasta
• 1 1⁄2 lbs fresh asparagus
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

• For the Sauce

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
• 1⁄4 cup white wine
• 4 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 cup skim milk
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 4 ounces aged gouda cheese, shredded
• salt and pepper
• 2 ounces walnuts, toasted and chopped (optional)

directions

1. Prepare pasta according to box directions.
2. While pasta is cooking, wash asparagus, break off the woody stems and arrange on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper. Broil for 5-10 minutes until the asparagus is tender (to your personal taste). Once cooked, chop asparagus roughly and toss it with drained pasta in a large serving bowl.
3. Melt butter in a sauce pan and add garlic, sauteing until it is turning golden and fragrant. Remove from heat.
4. Whisk in wheat flour to form a roux, being careful to avoid any lumps. When it is perfectly smooth, add white wine, whisking to incorporate.
5. Return saute pan to the heat, allow alcohol to evaporate (should take about 30 seconds) and immediately whisk in heavy cream.
6. Continuing to whisk, add shredded Gouda and stir gently until it melts. Once melted, add remaining ingredients and bring to temp., or just until the sauce begins to bubble.
7. Pour sauce over pasta and asparagus. Toss and garnish with toasted walnuts, if desired.

Reviews

[kiwidutch]

Yum! the garlic comes though nicely and the wine in the sauce elevates it from just a plain cheese sauce, all parts of this recipe went very well with the asparagus. I couldn't get regular sized green asparagus when I went shopping and the usual dutch white asparagus on offer looked rather tired, so I opted for fresh green baby asparagus tips and they worked just fine. I did buy penne pasta especially for this recipe but DH who works from home polished it off for his lunches during the week so I came home from work and was forced to substitute the tagliatelle that we had in the cupboard instead... it doesn't effect the result I think, which is a nice blend of flavours. DH commented that whilst he thought it was good, that it needed a "little something extra" and suggested maybe a handful of fresh basil? We also never mind eating a vegetarian meal, but this time DH said that he missed eating meat when he ate this. (something he doesn't often say)Next time I will make a meat dish on the side. Please see my rating system: 4 wonderful stars for an easy and tasty recipe that I would be happy to make again. Made for Pick-a-Chef Autumn 2008. Thanks !