Prawn and Asparagus Spaghetti with Pesto

Continuing on from my previous post on how to whip up fresh basil pesto, I figured I may as well come up with a pasta recipe as to how to put that fresh pesto to good use!

I don’t know about you but my favourite way to use pesto is in a pasta dish. Pesto goes well with sun-dried tomatoes and also with seafood such as prawn. To make this dish taste even better, I have opted for anchovies to delivery the umami and salty punch (instead of using regular salt). Toss it together and voila, you have a meal complete in and of itself.

This pesto pasta recipe finishes off nicely with a sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan cheese, pine nuts and extra herbs (like basil or parsley). I like to personally add a dash of lemon juice too for the extra ‘zing’.

So anytime you need a speedy and aesthetically pleasing pasta dish for a simple dinner, do try this recipe out!

Pesto Prawn and Asparagus Spaghetti

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Serves: 2 Prep Time: 10M Cooking Time: 10M 10M

Nutrition facts: 325 calories 30 grams fat

Rating: 4.5/5

( 2 voted )

Ingredients

• 12 medium-sized tiger prawns
• 2 garlic cloves
• 5 ounces dried spaghetti
• 1 teaspoon of dried aleppo chilli flakes
• 2 anchovies
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1/2 cup pesto
• 1/8 cup grated parmesan cheese (to garnish)
• 2 teaspoon of roasted pine nuts (to garnish)
• Few fresh leaves of basil (to garnish)
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions, leaving it al dente.

2. Once the pasta is down, reserve a cup of pasta water and set it aside. Drain the pasta in a colander and set it aside.

3. In a saute pan on medium heat, add a dollop of olive oil and gently fry the garlic, anchovies and aleppo chilli. Pan fry for a minute or two.

4. In the same pan, add the shrimps and asparagus. If the pan gets dry, add half the pasta water reserved before. Season with pepper and extra salt if needed (note: anchovies will provide much salt already). Cook the prawns for 2-4 minutes until the prawns turn opaque.

3. Add the cooked pasta on top and the pesto. Toss with tongs until the pesto coats all the pasta and prawns.

4. Add a squeeze of lemon juice (if desired) and turn off the stove. Transfer pasta to the bowls, garnish with pine nuts and parmesan cheese and serve immediately whilst warm.