This vegan asparagus and tomato pasta is incredibly easy to make, tasty and light for summery lunch or light dinner.
I would like to say that summer is just around the corner but then I peek through my window, see an endless amount of rain and just cover myself with another blanket.
BUT, once the sun decides to stay and the weather turns warm, this vegan asparagus and tomato pasta is all you need. It’s refreshing, filling but light, crunchy, juicy, delicious, and super easy to make. It kinda reminds me of a vegan pasta salad so you can either serve it hot or cold.
KEY INGREDIENTS
The key ingredients for this Vegan Asparagus pasta are:
- Asparagus – Asparagus gives this dish crunchiness and a slightly bitter taste. Lemon juice will balance that out and make it even more delicious.
- Tomatoes – You can either use cherry tomatoes or regular ones but diced into smaller chunks. Tomatoes give this pasta dish juiciness and sweetness.
- Pasta – I used spaghetti but feel free to use any other type or shape of pasta. Also, use gluten-free if necessary.
TOMATO NUTRITION BENEFITS
Except for being sweet, juicy and extremely delicious, tomatoes have some health benefits as well.
Have you tried my vegan sun-dried tomato pasta recipe?
Also, did you know tomatoes are actually classified as fruit?
“Tomato is the edible berry of the plant Solanum Lycopersicum, commonly known as a tomato plant”
Now when you learnt something new or just established your current knowledge, let’s see some nutrition benefits.
Tomato nutrition benefits:
- Excellent source of vitamin C, carotenes, biotin, vitamin K and potassium,
- A good source of fibre,
- It has been shown they lower the risk of heart disease,
- Improve vision,
- boost digestive system
- Antioxidant Lycopene neutralises harmful oxygen-free radicals
ASPARAGUS NUTRITION BENEFITS
Did you know asparagus is a member of the lily family? Yup, neither did I.
Fun facts aside, asparagus is amazing. Some of my favourite asparagus recipes are asparagus risotto, asparagus soup or simply asparagus on the grill with some olive oil and garlic.
Now, let’s see what can asparagus ‘offer’ to our bodies?
Asparagus nutrition benefits:
- Low in calories but rich in protein and carbs
- Excellent source of vitamin C, potassium, vitamin K, vitamin A
- A great source of fibre and iron
The best quality asparagus is firm and the tips are closed. Also, the darker the stalk, the higher the concentration of nutrients.
How to cut asparagus?
You should cut asparagus right where the stalks turn from white (pale) into green. The bottom end is usually woody and tough.
You can also gently bend each stalk until it snaps in half and simply discard the bottom end.
Without further ado, let’s cook!
Vegan Asparagus and Tomato Pasta – 10-minute meals
Course: Lunch, DinnerCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy4
servings5
minutes15
minutesIngredients
3 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves (crushed)
500g Asparagus – 1 bunch (cut each stalk in 3 )
500g cherry tomatoes (diced)
500g spaghetti pasta
1 tsp dried basil (fresh will also work)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp Himalayan salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp nutritional yeast (+ more to top)
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tbsp of lemon zest
Directions
- Cook the pasta (add 1tsp of salt and olive oil to the water) as instructed on the package.
- Whilst the pasta is cooking, heat up the oil in a large skillet on medium high heat.
- Add garlic and saute for a minute or two until fragrant. Be careful as it burns quite easily.
- Add asparagus and swoosh them through oil and garlic. Cover and cook for about 5min. Add tomatoes and cook for further 3 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Add the herbs, lemon juice, salt and pepper to the veggies, cover and leave it to simmer until you drain the pasta.
- Once the pasta is cooked, drain it but reserve 1 cup of the starchy water.
- Add the pasta, the reserved water, and nutritional yeast to the pan. Cook for further 3min until the liquid evaporates.
- Serve immediately and top up with some more nutritional yeast if desired.
- Enjoy!
You might also like:
- Ultimate Vegan Grocery list + printable PDF
- Top 10 Myths About Veganism and Plant-based Diet
- Iron on a vegan diet: Can you get enough?
- Vegan Food in Bali – Is Bali vegan-friendly?
- Top 11 Vegan-friendly Warungs in Ubud, Bali
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