Vegetarian pasta offers a lighter alternative to dishes with meat sauces. This tasty asparagus and cherry tomato fusilli is no exception. It’s quick to prepare, with simple spring flavours of asparagus, parmesan and roasted cherry tomatoes.
1. Preheat oven to 200˚C. Place whole cherry tomatoes on a
tray, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast in oven for 10–15 minutes. Set aside.
2. Cut the tips off asparagus, set aside in a separate bowl. Using a peeler, shave asparagus stalks into long strips. Heat a large frypan with 1 tbsp olive oil; cook onion and garlic with a pinch of salt gently for 5 minutes; add shaved asparagus and cook a further 1–2 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, place a large pot of water on to boil and cook pasta until al dente. In the last minute of cooking, add asparagus tips, then drain pasta well, reserving a little of the cooking water to moisten pasta.
4. Add cooked, drained pasta and asparagus tips to frypan with a little of the reserved cooking water and toss quickly. Add parmesan, extra-virgin olive oil, red-wine vinegar, parsley and cooked cherry tomatoes, toss well and check seasoning. Divide between two bowls and serve immediately.