Baked pasta with asparagus and smoked salmon is a simple and tasty main course, ideal for serving on festive days and special occasions. A very simple recipe, perfect for those who don’t have much time to cook. Yes, because baked pasta is one of those main courses where you can prepare the sauce and the bechamel in advance. Once the pasta is cooked, everything is assembled and finished in the oven.
For this recipe, I used frozen asparagus, because fresh ones would have cost as much as a mortgage. Frozen asparagus also has the advantage of being already cleaned. Cooked for a few minutes in a pan with garlic and oil, they became an excellent condiment for baked pasta, along with smoked salmon and lots of melted cheese. In my version, I used scamorza cheese, but you can easily replace it with provolone or pizza mozzarella.
Pasta with asparagus and salmon is a spring main course to serve also for Easter lunch. It will also be a great way to make the little ones eat vegetables. Curious to find out how to prepare it? Then read the recipe, because the baked pasta with asparagus and smoked salmon will be ready in a click!
If you are interested in other asparagus main course recipes, also read:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Oven, Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Easter, All Seasons
- Energy 649.11 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 38.09 (g) of which sugars 7.58 (g)
- Proteins 31.12 (g)
- Fat 41.99 (g) of which saturated 13.36 (g)of which unsaturated 7.00 (g)
- Fibers 2.83 (g)
- Sodium 1,773.77 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 298 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 8.5 oz pasta
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus more for greasing the baking dish)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 10.5 oz frozen asparagus
- 8.8 oz scamorza cheese
- 3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
- salt (to taste)
- pepper (to taste)
- 2 1/8 cups milk
- 3.5 tbsp butter
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- salt (to taste)
- nutmeg (to taste)
- 5 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
Tools
- High-sided saucepan
- Whisk
- Small saucepan
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Baking dish
Steps
First, prepare the bechamel sauce. Start by bringing the milk to a boil and prepare the roux. Melt the butter in the saucepan and then add the flour all at once. Let the mixture cook, stirring, until it turns a light hazelnut color.
At this point, add the roux to the milk and continue cooking for 15 minutes, always stirring with the whisk, until the cream thickens.
Add the grated cheese and finely chopped salmon to the bechamel and mix until all the ingredients are combined. Next, put the oil in a non-stick pan and the garlic powder, which you can replace with fresh garlic if you prefer. I used powdered garlic for convenience. Also add the asparagus cut into pieces, season with salt and pepper, and cook with the lid on for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, cook the pasta al dente in plenty of salted water and add a couple of tablespoons of pasta cooking water to the pan with the asparagus.
Drain the pasta and sauté it in the pan with the sauce for a minute, stirring. Remove from heat and add the bechamel and half the diced scamorza cheese. Mix well and transfer the pasta to a lightly oiled baking dish. Spread the remaining scamorza and grated cheese on the surface.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F with static function for 10 minutes. Finish cooking for another 3 minutes with the grill function, until a crust forms on the surface. After cooking, remove from the oven and serve
Storage and tips for baked pasta with asparagus
Baked pasta can be stored in the refrigerator for one or two days. Alternatively, you can prepare it in advance and bake it when needed. You can also freeze it before or after baking in aluminum containers.
FAQ Questions and Answers for Baked Pasta with Asparagus
What can I substitute for scamorza?
You can use provolone, smoked scamorza, or pizza mozzarella. The important thing is to use stringy cheese.
