The Briny Lemon: Vegetarian Pasta with Asparagus, Mushrooms, and Fresh Tomato Puree

Three vegetables, some pasta, and a bit of seasoning. That’s all it takes to create a fresh, delicious, and wholesome dinner—on the light side. As I’ve mentioned a few hundred times, going fresh is always important, but especially when a recipe has very few ingredients and each one needs to bring its best flavor to the dish.

I chose asparagus for this recipe because it’s now spring and this is asparagus’s time to shine. Seasonal vegetables are ideal for bringing the freshest meals to your dinner table. Peas, baby spinach, spring onions, artichoke, fennel—all would make tasty additions to this springtime dish. Mushrooms are easy to find year-round and provide a little meatiness, as well as deep, earthy flavor.

Vegetables and Garlic for the Sauce

Fresh tomatoes, of course, are available at your market year-round too, and while they will never measure up to that taste of sinking your teeth into one straight off the vine in summertime, store-bought tomatoes still make a great fresh sauce for pasta or any other tomato-based dish you’re preparing.

I chose to use a few different types of tomatoes for this recipe simply because that's what I had on hand. You can use only one kind or choose a mix of your favorites.

Assorted Tomatoes for the Sauce

One more thing: I wanted a chunky puree for the pasta, so I gave the coarsely chopped tomatoes a few spins in the food processor—not long enough to emulsify them, just enough to make them “saucy” with some bite still in the tomatoes. For a very chunky sauce, skip the processor and chop the tomatoes yourself.

Serves 4

Ingredients

8 oz spaghetti
1 1/2 lbs assorted tomatoes (such as roma, cluster, cherry, compari, or heirloom), coarsely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
8 oz crimini mushrooms, thickly sliced
6 oz asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp chopped fresh herb mixture, such as basil and oregano

Preparation

Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water 8-9 minutes. Drain.
Place the tomatoes in a food processor and chop until a chunky puree forms. Transfer to a bowl.

Tomatoes Ready to Puree

Chunky Pureed Tomatoes

Heat a large, deep skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Add the mushrooms, asparagus, and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables have softened and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes.