- Calories 335
- Fat 8.7g
- Satfat 3.2g
- Monofat 3g
- Polyfat 0.7g
- Protein 14.7g
- Carbohydrate 50.6g
- Fiber 5.2g
- Cholesterol 63mg
- Iron 4.8mg
- Sodium 447mg
- Calcium 156mg
Tomato and Asparagus "Carbonara"
Photo: Johnny Autry; Styling: Mary Clayton Carl
Toss the pasta and vegetables immediately after cooking. The heat from the pasta will cook the egg, thickening it into a light, creamy sauce.
How to Make It
Step 1
Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a Dutch oven.
Step 2
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add asparagus; sauté 3 1/2 minutes. Add garlic; sauté for 1 minute. Add tomatoes; cook for 6 minutes or until tomatoes are tender.
Step 3
Combine cheese, salt, pepper, and egg in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk.
Step 4
Add pasta to boiling water; cook 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain and toss pasta immediately with egg mixture. Add tomato mixture, tossing until sauce thickens. Divide pasta equally among 4 bowls. Sprinkle each serving with 1 tablespoon basil. Serve immediately.
Step 5
Wine Match: The bright, dry acidity of a sauvignon blanc will complement the grassy asparagus (and won't bring out an unflattering metallic taste). Try a fuller-bodied California wine like Simi Winery's Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc ($14), with crisp lemon and rich tropical notes. --Gretchen Roberts
Chef's Notes
MyRecipes is working with Let's Move!, the Partnership for a Healthier America, and USDA's MyPlate to give anyone looking for healthier options access to a trove of recipes that will help them create healthy, tasty plates. For more information about creating a healthy plate, visit www.choosemyplate.gov.
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Simple is best!
Such a simple easy recipe and lots of flavor. Bland? No way. I followed the advice in some of the reviews and added a bit of red pepper flakes and a splash of wine to the tomatoes while they cooked. Delicious! I didn't even add any salt, the cheese is salty enough.
Tasty, simple & healthy
Nice dish - comes together easy for a simple, healthy weeknight meal. I always follow the recipe exact the first time (I hate when people rate recipes poorly then describe how they changed the whole thing!) Anyway...while the egg & cheese mixture added a nice creamy texture to the dish, I felt it could have used a bit more flavor. I added crushed red pepper to mine after cooking which gave it a nice kick. I will definitely be making this again, maybe add a little more garlic and some fresh herbs to the veggies? Also think a splash of white wine would be nice :) Enjoy!
laebrown's Review
Really loved this - followed the recipe, but used home-grown cherry tomatoes and basil (extra tasty!). I also added some extra garlic. It seems like a lot of black pepper, but put it all in! I thought the egg/cheese/S&P emulsion into the hot pasta and veggies was genius; it created a rich flavor that didn't weigh the dish down. I definitely plan on making this again! :-)
ultraeye's Review
Pretty tasteless. Could not distinguish tomato, asparagus, or garlic flavors. Extraordinarily bland given the ingredients
ziggy2go's Review
N/A
sdonahue's Review
Loved this. Doubled the garlic and used spaghetti - not sure I would want to do penne because the spaghetti turned out so well! Would definitely serve to guests.
carriemack's Review
Beautifully simple but flavourful dish, quick and easy with minimal prep, ideal for a summer lunch or Dinner, I added some freshly podded peas but other than that followed the recipe exactly, do not understand the bland comments.
LDombeck's Review
Quick and delicious!! Easy to make and a good portion size. Good way to use asparagus.
emell25's Review
This turned out pretty bland. I made the recipe mostly as written but used quartered cocktail tomatoes because the store where I shopped did not have any cherry tomatoes available. I also reduced the size of the recipe by approximately 30%. Otherwise, I followed the recipe as published. This dish required a fair amount of prep (not unusual for a Cooking Light recipe) but it came together pretty quickly once I started cooking. Not sure I will make this again due to the lack of flavor - there are so many tastier pasta recipes available.
So fast, so good!