Pesto Pasta

Let’s Cook Low Fat, p. 32

225 g/8 oz chestnut mushrooms, sliced

150 ml/5 fl oz/3/4 cup fresh vegetable stock

175 g/ 6 oz asparagus, trimmed and cut into 5 cm/2 inch lengths

300 g/10 ½ oz green and white tagliatelle

400 g/14 oz canned artichoke hearts, drained and halved

Grissini (bread sticks) to serve

TO GARNISH:

Basil leaves, shredded

Parmesan shavings

PESTO:

2 large garlic cloves, crushed

15 g/1/2 oz fresh basil leaves, washied

6 tbsp low-fat natural fromage frais (unsweetened yogurt)

2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

BEHOLD THE MIGHTY ASPARAGUS

Place the sliced mushrooms in a saucepan along with the stock. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 3-4 minutes until just tender. Drain and set aside, reserving the liquor to use in soups if wished.

Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil and cook the asparagus for 3-4 minutes until just tender. Drain and set aside until required.

Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil and cook the tagliatelle according to the instructions on the packet. Drain, return to the pan and keep warm.

Meanwhile, make the pesto. Place all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and process for a few seconds until smooth. Alternatively, finely chop the basil and mix all the ingredients together.

I went with the alternative since I was using basil-from-a-tube.

Voila! (Less "pesto" than "sauce," I have to admit.)

Add the mushrooms, asparagus and artichoke hearts to the pasta and cook, stirring, over a low heat for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat, mix with the pesto and transfer to a warm bowl. Garnish with shredded basil leaves and Parmesan shavings and serve with Grissini (bread sticks).

Served up with some store-bought garlic bread and some Warm Tomato Saute. FYI, I substituted fettuccine for tagliatelle.

My Rating: 3/5 "Not as thrilling as I thought it would be, although I did enjoy the chance to eat so many nice vegetables in a pasta dish. I'm not sure why the recipe added unsweetened yogurt in an effort to make the pesto more low-fat, though. That said, if you get the right pasta it's still fairly healthy."