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Asparagus carbonara
Serves: 3-4
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Tara Fisher
Asparagus carbonara
Recipe by Alice Hart
If a baconless carbonara seems too much of a travesty, chop and fry a few rashers of streaky bacon before adding the garlic to the pan
Serves: 3-4
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time:
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
540Kcal
Fat
24gr
Saturates
8gr
Carbs
59gr
Sugars
3gr
Fibre
5gr
Protein
26gr
Salt
0.6gr
Alice Hart
Alice Hart is a Sussex-born food and travel writer, trained chef and food stylist. Her vegetarian recipes are packed with natural ingredients offering feel-good food for all.
Alice Hart
Alice Hart is a Sussex-born food and travel writer, trained chef and food stylist. Her vegetarian recipes are packed with natural ingredients offering feel-good food for all.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 5 large eggs, 4 yolks, plus 1 whole egg
- 100g pecorino cheese, finely grated (or vegetarian alternative)
- 300g dried penne
- 250g asparagus, trimmed and cut into 4cm pieces
- ½ x 28g pack basil, leaves only, shredded
- 2 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted
Step by step
-
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a low heat and gently soften the garlic for a couple of minutes. Set aside.
-
Whisk together the egg yolks, egg and two-thirds of the grated cheese in a small bowl. Add the garlic and season with lots of black pepper.
-
Cook the pasta in plenty of salted water, according to pack instructions. Add the asparagus for the last 3 or 4 minutes. Drain, saving half a mugful of the cooking water. Return the pasta and asparagus to the pan and add the egg and cheese mixture, stirring constantly. Add enough of the reserved cooking water – about 4 tablespoons – to create a creamy sauce that coats the pasta; stir in the basil. Scatter with the pine nuts and serve with the remaining cheese.
Note: this recipe contains raw/partially cooked eggs