Creamy Asparagus & Ricotta Pasta

This delightful pasta dish celebrates the freshness of spring! For an extra light and velvety sauce, use an immersion blender to combine blanched asparagus and ricotta cheese with a tablespoon of our Extra Virgin Olive Oil—though most blenders and food processors will work! (As an optional garnish, you may also set aside a few tops of the asparagus spears to add at the end!) We used Einkorn Spaghetti for an addition of wholesome ancient grains in this recipe, but feel free to use your preferred variety of spaghetti. Toss with a bit of lemon zest for an extra burst of brightness, then garnish with salty chopped pistachios for the perfect added crunch!

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Cut the tough bottoms of the asparagus off and discard them. Once the water is boiling, blanch the asparagus for a few minutes or until fork tender.
3. Remove asparagus from the water using a sieve, but keeping the water in the pot. Add a bit more salt then add the pasta to the same water and cook according to packaging instructions.
4. While the pasta is cooking, in the blender jar of an immersion blender (other types of blenders also work) combine the asparagus, ricotta, olive oil, salt, and pepper and blend until smooth and creamy. If the mixture is too thick and not blending properly, add a bit of pasta water. (Do not add too much, the consistency should be thick like a paste, not liquid).
5. Once the pasta has finished cooking, reserve a cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta. Toss the pasta back into the same pot along with the asparagus and ricotta paste. Turn on the heat to a medium temperature. Mix to combine and gradually add some of the reserved pasta water until the desired creamy consistency is reached and all the pasta is coated in the sauce.
6. Finally grate the zest of one lemon onto the pasta and mix once more. Alternatively, you could also garnish with larger pieces of lemon zest.
7. Roughly chop the salted, shelled pistachios on a cutting board and garnish each plate with them. Serve immediately.