March 30, 2017

Whole Wheat Pasta with Asparagus | Plant Based, Oil Free, Instant Pot

Whole Wheat Pasta with Asparagus

Living a whole plant based lifestyle has translated to a lot of fun in the kitchen. Going to the market is an entirely new experience now. The tender stalks of fresh asparagus caught my eyes and I decided to make something different. Pasta is a special treat for me, so I took the time to make a creamy white bean sauce to take this dish up a notch. There's no oil in this dish making it lighter than other pasta dishes I've put together. This is what I would call a guilt free bowl of creamy pasta with asparagus.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Asparagus


Ingredients:
1/4 cup dry white beans, soaked for 24 hours and rinsed
1 cup filtered water
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 garlic cloves
1 pound fresh asparagus, ends removed, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
2 servings of pasta
Salt and pepper to taste

Serves 2

Add the first two ingredients to the Instant Pot and give it a good stir. Set Instant Pot to manual for 25 minutes on high pressure. When the beans are done, release pressure, remove lid and drain the beans. Make sure to reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid from the pot. Alternatively, you can use a cup of canned white beans and a cup of filtered water.

Cook the pasta and asparagus in separate pots based on how much time is left on the Instant Pot. I drop the pasta in salted boiling water at the 5 minute mark and start steaming the asparagus once the beans are finished cooking.

Blend the beans with cup of reserved liquid, nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, pepper and garlic until a smooth creamy texture.

To assemble the dish, split the drained pasta, bean sauce and asparagus into two bowls. Give it a good mix and taste for seasoning. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to individual taste. I find the salt in the pasta water gives the pasta enough saltiness that additional salt is not needed. If you enjoy heat, add a dash of cayenne pepper.

If you get around to trying this recipe, let me know what you think.

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