When I saw this original recipe, I thought it sounded really good. So off I went to the grocery store to buy my ingredients. Little did I know how expensive smoked mozzarella and prosciutto would be. Considering I've never had smoked mozzarella before, and the fact that I've had other smoked cheese that I didn't care for, I opted to buy regular mozzarella instead of smoked (which was great for my costs, as it was less than half the price of the smoked). And seeing as though the prosciutto was over $7 for 4 oz., I was happy with the savings on the cheese.
It's too bad I didn't know that I don't like prosciutto before I bought it. I could have saved even more! I tasted it before making this dish, and I'm glad I did- since I ended up leaving it out. If you like prosciutto and want to add it to this dish, all you need is 3 oz.- slice it up and add it in at the very end before serving.
So between me wanting to save money and not liking prosciutto, this recipe was born. It was delicious. The asparagus makes this a nice springtime meal. And the olive oil and pasta water create a light sauce that helps keep this dish from being heavy.
Ingredients:
8 ounces dried whole wheat pasta (I used penne)
1 pound asparagus, washed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 T olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces mozzarella, diced
3 T thinly sliced fresh basil
1 pound asparagus, washed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 T olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces mozzarella, diced
3 T thinly sliced fresh basil
Salt and additional pepper, to taste
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)
Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 5-7 minutes. Add the asparagus to the same pot, and cook until the pasta is al dente and the asparagus is crisp-tender, about 2-3 minutes more. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking liquid, and drain the pasta and asparagus.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, 20-30 seconds. Add the pasta, asparagus, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and ½ cup of reserved cooking liquid. Toss to coat.
Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the mozzarella and basil; toss to combine. Taste, adding salt and additional pepper if desired. If using, sprinkle red pepper flakes over dish.
Yields: 4-6 servings
Note: the prosciutto wasn't a total waste of my money. My husband decided he liked it, and added it to his individual bowl of pasta.
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