Roasted Asparagus Pesto Pasta Recipe

Oh how I love pesto, but with a son with severe nut and chickpea allergies, I can never make it in my house. I was craving pesto last week, and explored a new way to make pesto without the nuts/peas. What I found was the most genius recipe, and oh so delicious – Roasted Asparagus Pesto Pasta!

This is sneaky chef at its best. If your kids won’t eat asparagus – this is your solution!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of asparagus. I used purple asparagus, but green will work fine.
• 1 Package of cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1/2 cup of basil leaves
• 2 Tbl. of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1 Package of spaghetti (your choice)
• Salt and Pepper

Directions:

• Heat the oven to 425.

• On a foil lined cookie sheet, add the tomatoes and asparagus.
• Drizzle olive oil over the tomatoes and asparagus, and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Cook for 20 minutes.

• While the vegetables are roasting, cook the pasta per the package instructions.
• When the vegetables are done, cut the tops off the asparagus, and reserve the tops for later.
• In a blender add the bottoms of the asparagus, cheese, remaining olive oil (you might need more) and basil. Blend until it is like a paste.

• Then mix pasta, sauce, tomatoes, and asparagus tops together.
• Feel free to add more cheese if you desire – Serve!!

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