Pasta with Asparagus and Feta Cheese

This recipe for pasta with asparagus and feta cheese makes a great spring meal. I love this time of year when asparagus is both plentiful and cheap. 🙂 When I saw a recipe for asparagus pasta on Pinterest, I knew it was one I needed to try. Mike refuses to eat feta cheese (his loss), so I made this recipe when he was out of town and my mom was visiting. Well, in the spirit of complete honesty, my mom made this recipe – I just photographed it and ate it. 🙂 To say we loved it would be an understatement. It was so quick and easy to prepare, and surprisingly full of flavor from such simple ingredients. It is a nice light and healthy meal, and the leftovers were still delicious the following day.  If I can convince Mike to eat it, this will be one recipe I make again and again.

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Pasta with Asparagus and Feta Cheese

Ingredients:

• 1 large bunch asparagus, sliced on a diagonal into 1″ pieces
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup feta cheese crumbles
• 4 cups dry whole wheat fusilli pasta
• 1/3 cup cooking water (from pasta)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• sea salt
• handful of fresh basil, chopped

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1/3 cup of the cooking water. Set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the asparagus and saute until bright green but still slightly crisp, 4-5 minutes. Add minced garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add hot cooked pasta, feta cheese, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Add a splash of the cooking water and stir well. If pasta looks dry, add another splash of the reserved cooking water. Sprinkle on the fresh basil and serve immediately.

from Eat Live Run