Shaved Asparagus Prosciutto Pasta

So Mr. Fantabulous and I had gone to Sam’s club and he found this 3lb bag of asparagus that he had to have.  Now I never liked asparagus so he was on his own with this thing as I don’t like the stuff.  FYI… a 3lb pound bag is a lot of asparagus by the way.  Now full disclosure, I can’t technically say I don’t like the stuff as I never really tried it (at least not on purpose).  I had that fear of “if you eat it your pee will stink” and that just freaked me out!  So I avoided it – like I did for years with most veggies.  So that night I made him some but realized I had a TON left to go through.  I didn’t want it to go bad so I had to find ways to use it and yes… even partake myself.

Since you know the man has to have pasta everyday I wanted to figure out a way to include this in it.  Now this recipe came out of rush type situation.  See Mr. Fantabulous had already had dinner #1 (pre-workout) and when he gets home from the gym he eats dinner #2. Well see I kinda got side tracked on the site and forgot about making something until literally 15 minutes before he was due home. I knew it had to be pasta but was kinda lazy and didn’t feeling like going downstairs to get another jar of sauce.  Plus it’s dark down there and well, it’s just dark. LOL  So literally I rushed around in the kitchen, grabbed stuff and this is how I came up with it. I figured if I could mask the taste then maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. I decided on going with a lighter cream sauce with a bright flavor.  I made it two ways – with and without prosciutto as well as a low fat version.  I actually liked them all and couldn’t tell much difference.  With the meatless I added some sea salt to replace the saltiness from the prosciutto.  Other than that, game on!

and yes, 2 dinners.  The man can eat <hate him as he doesn’t gain weight>.

Anyway, he came in looking all buff and pumped… and hungry. He sat down and I put this in front of him.

… then I got the look.

He wasn’t sure what it was, knew it was pasta but it looked not like normal pasta.

After being with him for so long I gave my look back (the ‘just eat it’ look). Love how you can speak volumes without muttering a word!  LOL

All it took literally was one bite and he was hooked! I mean Hook… Line… and SINKER in love with this dish!

I’ve lost count as to how many times I’ve made this dish since coming up with it.  When you go with the full on version (mascarpone and prosciutto) it’s a little bit heavier – pure comfort food.  With the meatless and low fat version it’s obviously lighter and is perfect for lunch or having it as a snack (smaller portion).

So yeah I gave in, because I love you all dearly, and tried asparagus.

1 – it doesn’t suck
2- it’s actually pretty tasty when given the right seasoning
3 – it’s amazing wrapped in prosciutto and roasted (future recipe)

Shaved Asparagus Prosciutto Pasta

• Author: The Kitchen Whisperer

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Ingredients

• 12 stalks of asparagus, woody ends snipped off
• 2 large shallots, minced
• 4 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1/3–1/2 cup mascarpone cheese * for lower fat use low-fat ricotta that you’ve blended until very creamy
• 1 lb capellini or fettuccini noodles
• 6 slices prosciutto, rough cut into smaller strips *leave out for meatless
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2–1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 – 1 teaspoon fresh black pepper
• 1/2–1 teaspoon sea salt if not using prosciutto
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 4–6 ounces shaved Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

1. To shave the asparagus stalks into long ribbons, place a stalk on the cutting board in front of you with the tip pointing away from you.
2. Starting at the stem end, use a Vegetable Peeler to shave ribbons off of the stalk, pressing down to make sure you get an even cut.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a hard boil, add in the pasta, pinch of salt and boil until al dente. ~5-8 minutes (depends on the type of noodle).
4. In a large skillet over medium heat add the olive oil until hot.
5. Add in the shallots and garlic.
6. Sauté until translucent ~5-6 minutes.
7. Add in the black pepper and red pepper flakes.
8. Drain the pasta but reserve 1-2 cups of the pasta water.
9. Pour a cup of pasta water and lemon juice to the skillet and add mascarpone.
10. Stir until dissolved.
11. Add in the shredded parmesan cheese and stir.
12. Toss in the asparagus ribbons for a few minutes just to soften slightly.
13. Add the pasta to the pan and gently mix.
14. Add in the prosciutto and remove the pan from the heat, gently stirring in the prosciutto.
15. Taste and adjust seasonings.
16. Plate and add shaved Parmesan on top.

Notes

I highly recommend this Vegetable Peeler . Love it!

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