This rich and creamy asparagus carbonara uses fresh, seasonal veggies and savoury sun-dried tomatoes to make a gorgeous vegetarian pasta dinner.

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When life gives you asparagus…

My daughter Kipper and I had been enjoying choosing new plants at the garden centre. On the way out, we spotted bunches of fresh local asparagus by the checkouts, and, well, we couldn’t resist! I’m pleased to say that my daughter has inherited DH and my love of fresh, seasonal British asparagus, so a big bunch was a sure-fire winner all round.

Quick & delicious – asparagus carbonara

However, by the time we’d got home, unloaded the plants, played in the garden, read the book she’d brought home from school, and generally got our act together, there wasn’t a lot of time left to make dinner. Fortunately quick and asparagus are two words that go together well.

And pasta. Pasta’s quick, too.

In the 11 minutes that it took the spaghetti to boil, I chopped and sautéed, grated and whisked. Then, I drained, mixed, and served. It was a brief but slightly frantic effort, but had it paid off?

Asparagus carbonara in a dish with tongs.

The proof of the pasta…

Coated in rich, glossy sauce, with crisp and flavourful asparagus in every bite, and a deep savoury note from the sun-dried tomatoes, I think I can say my few minutes as a kitchen dervish was worth it! Everyone agreed that this asparagus carbonara was delicious.

We also agreed that the super-skinny asparagus was just the best for this dish – delightfully crisp and with a gorgeous fresh flavour. Thick spears just wouldn’t have been so good.

Asparagus carbonara – what’s in it?

You only need a handful of ingredients to make this delicious pasta. Apart from the fresh summer asparagus, the rest are all pantry staples. You will need:

pasta/noodles – I used spaghetti but any long pasta will do
fresh asparagus – skinny spears are best
sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
olive oil – or use the oil you drained off the sun-dried tomatoes
garlic
egg
grated parmesan or similar hard cheese

Simple ingredients – quick and easy – delicious dinner! What’s not to love?!

Ingredients for asparagus pasta carbonara - asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, spaghetti, olive oil, garlic, parmesan cheese and egg.

Kosher carbonara

A quick word about carbonara – in its traditional incarnation, it’s completely treif (not kosher) because along with the eggs and pasta go pieces of crispy fried bacon. I have no idea what that tastes like, but I imagine that the bacon adds a salty, savoury note which is replaced here to some extent by the sun dried tomatoes. I don’t suppose they taste anything like bacon, but I do think this vegetarian/kosher carbonara stands up as a delicious dish in its own right.

Wonderfully savoury, fresh, summery pasta. Grind over some black pepper if you fancy and tuck in.

Asparagus carbonara - Rich & tasty, this quick & easy pasta dinner is a delicious way to use fresh, seasonal asparagus. Savoury sun dried tomatoes make this a vegetarian treat.

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📖 Recipe

Asparagus and sun dried tomato carbonara

This rich and creamy asparagus carbonara uses fresh, seasonal veggies and savoury sun-dried tomatoes to make a gorgeous vegetarian pasta dinner.

5 from 8 votes

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Total Time 15

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings

Calories 364 kcal

Ingredients

150-200 g spaghetti
450-500 g fine asparagus spears
6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil drained
1-2 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic crushed
1 egg
50 g grated parmesan or equivalent hard cheese

Instructions

Cook the spaghetti in boiling water according to the instructions on the packet.
Meanwhile, trim the asparagus spears, wash, and cut into 3-4cm (1-1½ inch) lengths. Set aside.
Finely chop the sun dried tomatoes.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or frying pan over a medium heat. Add the chopped sun dried tomatoes and the garlic, and fry, stirring, for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add the asparagus and continue to cook, stirring occasionally for 5-6 minutes until the asparagus is crisp-tender. Remove from the heat.
In a large bowl, beat together the egg and the grated parmesan.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain well, then add to the egg mixture with the asparagus and sun dried tomatoes. Toss everything together thoroughly to ensure that the spaghetti and vegetables are coated in the egg/cheese sauce.
Serve immediately!

Notes

Although the egg is partially cooked by the heat of the pasta and vegetables, this dish is probably unsuitable for those who avoid raw eggs, such as pregnant women and people with a suppressed immune system. Sorry.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Asparagus and sun dried tomato carbonara

Amount per Serving

Calories

364

% Daily Value*

Fat

Saturated Fat

Trans Fat

Cholesterol

Sodium

298

Potassium

554

Carbohydrates

Fiber

Sugar

Protein

Vitamin A

1435

Vitamin C

Calcium

244

Iron

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keyword asparagus, egg, pasta

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More delicious asparagus recipes

If you love eating fresh asparagus, you should try this pesto, mushroom and asparagus pizza, these buckwheat crepes with creamy asparagus, beans and mushrooms, easy and quick roasted asparagus, or delicious griddled asparagus.

I’m linking this recipe up with Eat Your Greens, hosted by the VegHog.
I’m also joining in with TastyTuesdays.

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