Rustic Asparagus Primavera With Fontina and Parmesan
By: Scott Koeneman
Published: Monday, March 29, 2010 - 8:30pm

Ingredients




1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 inch medium onion, cut  half and sliced
1 pound asparagus, tough ends removed and chopped into 2-inch pieces
2 mediums stalks celery, chopped
5 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 can no-salt-added diced tomato
2/3 cup bold red wine
1 tablespoon no-salt-added tomato paste
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
1 tablespoon fennel seeds, crushed
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

7 ounces (dry) whole wheat linguine
4 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese (divided)
4 tablespoons smoked fontina cheese (divided)

Preparation

1 Put water for pasta on to boil 2 Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add onion and saute until just tender. Add garlic and saute until fragrant. Add asparagus, celery, mushrooms, oregano and fennel and saute for several minutes. 3 Add tomatoes, wine, and tomato paste, bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer, cover. 4 Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package directions. 5 Just before pasta is al dente, strain (do not rinse) and mix in with sauce. Let pasta finish cooking in sauce. 6 Serve topped with one tablespoon each of Parmesan and fontina.

About


For me, the joy of a primavera is that you can use any combination of vegetables you like or that are in season at the time. A bold red wine and a smoked cheese are like bookends for the fresh rough-cut vegetable flavors. This version worked out to only 339 calories with 6 grams of fat and 10 of fiber for a huge, filling bowl.