If you prefer, you can always substitute a brown rice, whole-wheat, or whole-grain pasta for the fiber-enriched variety. I get a lot of letters and e-mails from home cooks around the country saying they are able to make my recipes for the whole family even though their spouses and children won’t generally eat healthy food, because my recipes actually taste fattening. To keep with that tradition, I opt for the fiber-enriched pasta since it adds needed fiber to our diets while still tasting more like traditional pasta.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 6 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Cook the pasta according to package directions, omitting any oil or butter.
Step 2
Two to four minutes before the pasta is done, add the asparagus to the water (2 minutes for thin spears, 4 minutes for thick). Before draining, reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water in a small bowl. Drain the pasta.
Step 3
Meanwhile, add the garlic, ricotta, and olive oil to a large serving bowl. As soon as the pasta is drained, mix in 1/3 cup of the reserved pasta water. Immediately add the pasta and asparagus and gently toss until the pasta and asparagus are coated with the cheese mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Gently toss again. If the mixture seems too dry, add more reserved pasta water, about 1/4 cup at a time, until no longer dry. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the pasta and sprinkle with the red pepper flakes, if desired. Serve immediately.
nutrition information
Step 4
Each (about 2-cup) serving has:
Step 5
Calories: 318
Step 6
Protein: 15g
Step 7
Carbohydrates: 60g
Step 8
Fat: 7g
Step 9
Saturated Fat: 2g
Step 10
Cholesterol: 18mg
Step 11
Fiber: 9g
Step 12
Sodium: 183mg
