Tomato and Asparagus "Carbonara"

Another Cooking Light Recipe - and this one is now a favorite that I will put into regular rotation.

Tomato and Asparagus "Carbonara" from September 2012 (yup still catching up on some of the old magazines on my shelf.)  Below you can see my picture vs. their picture.

  

This recipe was super easy to follow- and I would say takes even less time then the time that they allow, especially if you take the time to prechop your veggies.  (Prechopping veggies is a great thing to do while a baby naps.  Makes life much easier.)  I have made this recipe twice now, the first time I was right at the 25 minute time limit.  The second time it only took as long as it was needed to cook the pasta.

There are no unusual ingredients.  The only concern is catching the asparagus when it is in season, and of course I am sure you could substitute frozen.  There are also any number of ways to substitute to  make it work for your pantry.  I have done 2 different pastas, 2 different cheeses,and even switched around spices a bit.

With only a couple veggies - and those being veggies that can be rough chopped - the prep work only takes a moment.  The veggies are cooked in one pan, and the pasta is cooked in its own pot.  So there are 2 pots used.  Other than that the serving bowl is the only other item that will need to be washed. 

Now for the only part of the recipe that initially worried me.  Your sauce is a raw egg in a bowl that cooks when you add in the hot pasta.  Scary.  But since I will drink raw eggs drowned in sugar in egg nog I decided it would be silly to skip this recipe just because of a little fear of illness.  Can I say it totally paid off?  So easy, and quick and yummy.

This is a recipe that is worth making every week as the pasta item.  It's inexpensive since it doesn't have meat - and it's quick to cook, and easy to clean up.  I would definitely recommend trying it out and making adjustments for your own family!