All About the Veg! is a biweekly recipe column where Best of Vegan contributor Seiran Sinjari breaks down one amazing plant at a time. In today’s column, she revisits asparagus, a signature springtime vegetable. Her recipe for creamy vegan asparagus za’atar pasta has a slightly herbaceous and nutty flavor with wonderfully zesty notes that pair well with the creamy texture. It’s a wonderful way to kick off the spring season!
Finally spring! Of course, we’ll be revisiting some springtime favorites, starting with asparagus. Fresh asparagus doesn’t require complicated cooking methods or a bunch of seasonings. That’s the best part of eating seasonal produce.
Today’s recipe is made with green asparagus, perhaps the most familiar one, but asparagus actually comes in three colors; green, white, and purple. Green and purple asparagus are similar in flavor and texture while white asparagus is quite different in both flavor and texture compared to the former two.
We can prepare asparagus by grilling, roasting, pan-frying, blanching, or steaming them. The only thing we need to keep in mind is not to overcook them, we still want them vibrant in color with a little crunch.
Pasta and risotto are my go-to meals with the first bunch of beautiful spring asparagus I get my hands on. As I shared my recipe for asparagus risotto last spring, we’re doing pasta today, and we’re adding something extra to give it a richer flavor; za’atar. Za’atar is this magical Middle Eastern herb/spice blend (thyme, sesame seeds, sumac, salt) that I use a lot in my kitchen. Especially good with some of my favorite carbs; bread, potatoes, pasta and often paired with extra virgin olive oil. If you can’t find a local Middle Eastern grocery store, you can always order za’atar online, just make sure it’s good quality (my personal preference is the ones with herbs only and not fillers like toasted grains).
Asparagus is often paired with lemon, which I’ve also included in this recipe, and the acidity of the lemon enhances and complements the flavor of asparagus so well. Since there’s sumac (which also is sour in flavor) in the za’atar blend, this will also work beautifully with the asparagus. The combination of lemon and za’atar is also a nice contrast to the creamy pasta sauce.
As always when I’m cooking asparagus risotto or pasta, I pan-sear the top part of the asparagus and use it later to finish off the dish, while the rest will cook with the risotto or pasta sauce. It’s a great way to get different flavors and textures out of the asparagus in one and the same meal.
Now let’s get to the recipe of this creamy vegan asparagus za’atar pasta with a slightly herbaceous and nutty flavor!
Ingredients
- 1 shallot - finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic - minced
- 250 g green asparagus
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 250 ml vegan cream / heavy cream
- 1 ½ - 2 tablespoons Za'atar spice blend
- 2 + 2 tablespoons grated vegan parmesan cheese - can be replaced with nutritional yeast
- ½ lemon - squeezed and zested (more or less lemon juice to taste)
- salt & pepper to taste
- 300 g dry linguine pasta
- fresh thyme to garnish with
Instructions
- Cook pasta in accordance with the package instructions and reserve 200 ml of the pasta water before draining.
- Trim asparagus by cutting or snapping off the hard and woody ends. If they are thick with tough skin, also peel the lower part with a vegetable peeler.
- Slice the asparagus in thin rounds leaving the top spear (around 4-5 cm / 2”) and slice the top spears in half lengthwise (if thick). Keep the rounds and top parts separated.
- Heat olive oil in a pan, add the top parts of the asparagus, season with salt and pepper. Stir-fry until a little browned but still green and crunchy. Transfer to a plate.
- Add more oil to the pan if needed, add the onion and sauté over medium heat until translucent, then add the garlic and the sliced asparagus rounds. Fry for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the cream, za’atar, 2 tablespoons of vegan parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper, stir well and simmer over medium heat for a couple of minutes. Add lemon juice and the rest of the vegan parmesan cheese, stir. Adjust flavors to your liking with more lemon, za’atar, salt & pepper. Avoid adding too much salt until you mix in the pasta water as it’s also salty.
- Mix the sauce with the drained pasta, stir well and wait a minute until the pasta absorbs the sauce, add a little pasta water at a time while stirring if needed to make it saucier.
- Top with the seared asparagus, lemon zest, thyme, vegan parmesan, a little za’atar, and freshly ground black pepper before serving.
Notes
Recipe, text, and photography by Seiran Sinjari.
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