Asparagus and Mushroom Pasta

We don't eat a lot of pasta.  On weeknights we try not to eat a ton of carbs so I've probably had this half empty box of pasta in my pantry for a few months.  We DO eat a lot of vegetables during the week - sometimes an insane amount of vegetables.  And by we, I mean me.  I've been known to eat an entire family sized bag of frozen veggies with dinner.  CA never thinks we're going to finish it all but I usually do.

When I looked in the fridge on this particular night and saw that the only vegetables I had were asparagus, mushrooms and tomatoes they pretty much demanded to be made into a pasta dish.  Food can sometimes talk to you.

This dish came together pretty darn easily - saute up a bunch of veggies, add pasta, some herbs, a little wine and a bit of cheese.  Done.

It was a nice change up to eat a little pasta, but I still snuck in a LOT of veggies too.  There are as many vegetables in this as there is pasta so it's still nice and healthy for a weeknight meal.


Asparagus and Mushroom Pasta
Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients
1 T Butter or Olive Oil
1/2 cup finely chopped Red Onion
3 cloves Garlic, minced
8 oz Portabello Mushrooms, roughly chopped
1/2 cup coarsely chopped Tomatoes or halved Cherry Tomatoes
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Italian Seasoning (or some combination of parsley, basil and oregano)
8 oz. Pasta
1 bunch Asparagus, cut into 1" pieces
1/2 cup White Wine
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese + more for serving

Instructions
Heat butter or oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions and cook until soft, about 3 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add the mushrooms,  tomatoes, salt, pepper and seasonings and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  Keep warm.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water for 2 minutes less than the package directions.  Add the asparagus and cook for 2 minutes.  Drain the pasta/asparagus mixture, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.

Add the pasta, asparagus and pasta water to the skillet and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 3 minutes.  Add the cheese and stir until just melted.  Serve with an extra sprinkling of Parmesan cheese on top.