Name: Easy tomato pasta with asparagus
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 Tbsp olive oil; 1 small onion; 1 clove of garlic; 1 celery stick; 1 carrot or ½ red bell pepper (optional); 1 tsp capers (optional); 4 tomatoes, chopped; 1 Tbsp tomato purée; ½ tsp dried Italian mixed herbs (or marjoram); 2 pieces of sundried tomatoes, from jar; Salt and pepper; Herbs of your choice ( basil, parsley, dill, coriander etc); 1 bunch of asparagus tips; 200g pasta of your choice

Easy tomato pasta with asparagus

24 Nov 2021

by Wholeness

Prep Time

5 minutes

Cook Time

15 minutes

Total Time

20 minutes

Background

This vegan easy pasta with asparagus is on the table within 15 minutes. You can use gluten-free pasta if needed and serve it with Parmesan for a vegetarian version. You can add a carrot or half a bell pepper to the sauce (finely chopped) if you want the sauce to taste a bit sweeter.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion
1 clove of garlic
1 celery stick
1 carrot or ½ red bell pepper (optional)
1 tsp capers (optional)
4 tomatoes, chopped
1 Tbsp tomato purée
½ tsp dried Italian mixed herbs (or marjoram)
2 pieces of sundried tomatoes, from jar
Salt and pepper
Herbs of your choice ( basil, parsley, dill, coriander etc)
1 bunch of asparagus tips
200g pasta of your choice

Instructions

Put the pasta in a pan of boiling water and cook it following the instructions on the packaging. Cut the asparagus into 3 cm pieces and add these to the pasta for the last 3 minutes of cooking. Drain the pasta and asparagus, then keep them warm in the pan. (Use some of the cooking water for the tomato sauce!)
Meanwhile, finely chop the onion, garlic and celery. Heat the oil in a frying pan and gently sauté the chopped vegetables for about 5 minutes.
Chop the tomatoes (and bell pepper/carrot, if used), then add them to the pan with the capers and a drop of cooking water. Season to taste, put a lid on and cook until the tomatoes have softened, then transfer everything into a blender, add the fresh herbs & sundried tomatoes, then blitz until you get a thick sauce. Add some of the pasta’s cooking water if the sauce is too thick.
Mix some sauce with the pasta and asparagus, then serve with chili flakes or freshly ground pepper. (Use any leftover sauce for other dishes!).