Asparagus Pancetta Pasta

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

This delicious asparagus pasta is creamy, full of flavour and beyond simple to make!

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Author: Chris Collins

Cost: £3 / $4

Equipment

Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
Large Pan & Wooden Spoon
Large Pot & Tongs (for cooking pasta)
Jug (for stock)
Fine Cheese Grater

Ingredients

200g / 7oz diced Pancetta
350g / 12.3oz Linguine (or other long-cut pasta)
300g / 10.5oz Asparagus, woody ends trimmed then diced into large chunks
2 Springs Onions, thinly sliced then separated into white/dark green parts
2 cloves of Garlic, finely diced
180ml / 3/4 cup Chicken or Veg Stock
150g / 5.3oz full fat Mascarpone
1/2 bunch of Fresh Basil, roughly diced (plus more to serve if desired)
20g / 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more to serve if desired
1/2 Lemon, juice only
Salt & Black Pepper, as needed

Instructions

Add the pancetta to a large pan with the heat off. Turn to medium and fry until most of the fat has rendered down and it's pretty crispy. Lower the heat slightly if it's browning too quickly without the fat rendering out.
At this point pop the pasta in salted boiling water and cook until al dente. Don't drain.
Add the asparagus in with the pancetta and fry until it begins to soften, approx 3-4mins depending on the thickness of the asparagus (it will continue cooking slightly as you make the sauce). Add the garlic and white part of the spring onion and fry for a minute or so.
Add the stock and stir in the mascarpone until it melts. Stir in the basil, parmesan, remaining spring onion and a squeeze of lemon juice. Bring to a gentle simmer and check for seasoning (I typically do 1/4-1/2 tsp pepper and just a pinch of salt).
As the sauce begins to thicken, use tongs to transfer the cooked pasta straight from the pot into the pan, embracing any excess water it brings with it. Turn the heat to low and toss the pasta in the sauce until it thickens and is no longer watery. The end result should be a creamy, glossy sauce that clings to the pasta (add more of the leftover pasta water to thin it out if needed). You can add more lemon juice at this point if you'd like.
Plate up with extra parmesan and basil if desired, then tuck in and enjoy!

Video

Notes

a) Asparagus - I typically use fine asparagus tips and prefer the texture to be al dente, so you won't need to fry them for long. Especially because they continue cooking slightly. Do work to preference though and if you like asparagus on the softer side just fry for a little longer.

b) Pancetta - Important to gently render down the fat and certainly don't drain it away - this adds lots of flavour to the sauce! Most supermarkets sell the little double-packs of pancetta, usually in the cooked meats section. You could sub bacon though. Just make sure it's streaky bacon so you get the added fat.

c) Seasoning - The pancetta, parmesan and stock add quite a bit of saltiness, so I tend not to add much more in. In fact it might taste a little salty at the start, but remember you've got the pasta to add in. This recipe can take a good bit of black pepper though - I recommend starting with 1/4 tsp and working up.

d) Calories - Whole recipe divided by 4.

Nutrition