Easy Recipe for Asparagus Pesto Linguini

This is the perfect recipe for spring! A delicious, easy pasta dish that highlights the delicate, fresh flavor of asparagus.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

- 1 pound linguine

- ¼ cup pine nuts (optional)**

- 1 pound thin asparagus, coarsely chopped

- 1 cup loosely packed fresh parsley, mint and tarragon

- 1 garlic clove, chopped

- 1/3 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

- ½ lemon, juiced

- 1/3 cup olive oil

- Sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add pasta and cook until el dente, about 9-11 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.

2. While pasta is cooking, in a small skillet, toast pine nuts until slightly browned.

3. Using a food processor, puree the asparagus, herbs, cheese and lemon juice. With the machine on, drizzle oil, adding more if necessary to form a creamy pesto.

4. For baby 8 months+: Remove 1 tbsp of pesto and ¼ cup cooked pasta, puree in the mini processor with 1 tbsp pasta cooking water, pulse until chunky texture is reached. Serve.

5. For the rest of the family: Add pine nuts, salt & pepper to taste and continue to puree pesto until smooth texture is reached. In a pasta bowl, combine linguine, pesto and reserved cooking water. Toss to coat- serve!