pesto pasta salad with sun dried tomatoes, roasted asparagus, and fresh mozzarella

we were in charge of making pasta salad as a side dish for our family's fourth of july picnic this weekend.  instead of making either an italian dressing based pasta salad or a mayonnaise based macaroni salad, we decided to dress our pasta salad with pesto.

we absolutely love pesto.  there are so many different types of pesto.  traditional basil pesto is what we used for this recipe, but i bet this salad would also be good dressed in arugula, mint, and pistachio pesto or sun dried tomato, parsley, and almond pesto too.

the pasta is covered in delicious homemade pesto, full of fresh ingredients.  it is tossed with sun dried tomatoes, asparagus which was roasted in the oven until it was super tender, and cubes of fresh mozzarella cheese.  yum!

this pasta salad is an easy dish to make and it is perfect as a picnic side dish, or as a main meal for a busy week night.

we served this pasta dish cold as a salad, but you could certainly serve it warm too.  the warm mozzarella would melt into the pasta and that would be delicious!

pesto pasta salad with sun dried tomatoes, roasted asparagus, and fresh mozzarella
prep time: 10 minutes
cooking time: 30 minutes
yields: 6-8 servings
adapted from damn delicious

ingredients:
12 ounces pasta
1 lb. fresh asparagus
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup basil pesto
3 oz. sun dried tomatoes, chopped
8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, diced

directions:
bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions.  drain, then rinse under cold water.

preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.  cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and grease it with olive oil.  trim the ends off the asparagus and place the asparagus on the baking sheet.  toss with additional oil and season with salt and pepper.  roast for 10-12 minutes until tender.  set aside to cool.  once cool, cut into small pieces.

in a large bowl, combine the pasta and the pesto.  toss well to make sure the pasta is evenly covered.  mix in the asparagus, sun dried tomatoes, and mozzarella.  refrigerate until ready to serve.

enjoy!

love, laurie

asparagus and scallion strata with cheddar, gruyere, and parmesan

one of the main dishes that we served for mother's day brunch this past weekend was a strata.  a strata is basically a breakfast casserole.  the great thing about this dish is that all of the prep work is done the night before.  that means all that you have to do is just wake up, preheat your oven, and let the strata bake.

the base of this strata is bread.  we used a loaf of crusty italian bread, but french bread would work great too.  since asparagus is in season, we loaded this strata with fresh asparagus.  we included scallions and red onion for some extra flavor too.  there are also three different types of cheese in this strata which really make it amazing.

this strata is so versatile because you could substitute just about any type of vegetables and cheese in this casserole . . . but, i have to tell you that the combination of the asparagus, scallions, cheddar, gruyere, and parmesan is really great!

this strata is super yummy and super impressive, yet it is so easy to make.

it's so nice to have easy dishes like this when you are entertaining a group of people (or when you want to wake up to a really nice breakfast on a weekend morning)!

asparagus and scallion strata with cheddar, gruyere, and parmesan
prep time: 10 minutes
cooking time: 15 minutes
baking time: 50-60 minutes
yields: 10-12 servings
adapted from say yes to hoboken

ingredients:
2 tablespoons salted butter
1 small red onion, chopped
1 bunch asparagus, chopped (set the tips aside)
4-5 scallions, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
8 cups cubed french or italian bread (1 inch cubes)
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup gruyere cheese, shredded
1 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
9 large eggs
2 3/4 cups skim milk
1 tablespoon brown mustard

directions:
melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  cook the onion in the melted butter until translucent (about 5 minutes).  stir in the chopped asparagus (remember to set the asparagus tips aside for later), the chopped scallions, and the pepper.  cook until the vegetables are soft (about 10 minutes).

place half of the bread cubes in the bottom of a buttered a 9x13 inch glass baking dish.  spread half of the cooked vegetable mixture over the bread cubes, then spread half of each cheese over the vegetables.  create a second layer with the remaining bread cubes, vegetables, and cheese, then arrange the asparagus tips on the top.  

whisk together the eggs, milk, and mustard.  pour the egg mixture evenly over the strata.  cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, or over night.

remove from the refrigerator and allow the strata to sit on the counter for 30 minutes to come to room temperature.  meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  bake uncovered for 50-60 minutes, or until the are no visible signs of liquid egg mixture.  remove from the oven.  allow the strata to sit for several minutes to set up before cutting.  serve hot.

enjoy!

love, laurie

cream of asparagus soup

asparagus is one of my favorite veggies, and i love when i can find fresh asparagus on sale at the grocery store.  since it has been cold lately, i thought that cream of asparagus soup would be a perfect way to use the asparagus and onion sitting in our refrigerator.  the recipe i used was an adaptation of my mom's cream of broccoli soup recipe, and it turned out absolutely delicious!

{sauteing the chopped onions in butter}

{pureeing the cooked asparagus, onions, and chicken broth in the blender}

{adding cream to the soup}

{thickening the soup with flour}

{fresh ground pepper and nutmeg for a bit of added flavor}

{bon appetite!}

. . .

cream of asparagus soup
prep time: 10 minutes
cooking time: 20-25 minutes
yields: 4 servings

ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus, chopped
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 onion, chopped
3/4 cup half and half
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
ground black pepper to taste

directions:
in a stock pot, bring broth to a boil.  add asparagus and simmer for approximately 10 minutes, until asparagus is tender.  in a separate pan, sauté onions in butter, until onions are tender.  add onions to the broth and simmer.  pour the soup into a blender, and puree until smooth.  pour the soup back into the stock pot.  add cream and stir.  in a small bowl, whisk together flour and water.  slowly add the flour mixture to the soup and stir until thick.  season with nutmeg and pepper.

enjoy!

love, laurie