Asparagus Lemon-Ginger Pesto w/ Black Pasta is not a classic pasta dish. This recipe brings together a unique combination of textures, flavours, aromas and colours. It’s an original Soulfully Tasty recipe that can become your next favourite. It’s a sensational plant-based dish made to captivate not only the eye but also the taste buds. 

How can one be so excited to make food? Well, I am. I’m ecstatic to present this dish to you, my dear readers. So excited! I’ve played with this recipe since last year, and I’ve tried to give it my signature as I try with all my recipes. I love to combine various textures, aroma, and flavours that impress through their simplicity and how amazing some of them can work together. 

This pasta dish is my new favourite, to be honest. I’m really liking the punch of flavours that I’ve added to this pesto recipe. First, it’s not a classic pesto. Second, I’ve added an ingredient that might surprise you in combination with asparagus, and that is ginger. But, the beautiful asparagus is the star of the recipe, and I made it shine through.

Asparagus is just one of those attractive and tasty veggies that I can’t stay away from. Now that it’s in season, I’m eating asparagus a couple of times a week. And that’s how I came up to make an asparagus pesto last year. I’ve drafted the recipe, played with it a few times, and then again picked it up this year, and made it perfect.

Roasting asparagus is my favourite way of preparing it. It’s always tasty, no matter what, even without oil. You can spray the bottom of your pan lightly with avocado oil, and I sometimes do that, but not necessary. Adding spices and herbs, especially crushed garlic on top, ensures that you’ll obtain the best flavours on your plate.

For my pesto, roasting veggies is one technique that brings extra flavour and richness to the dish. Adding roasted vegetables to the pesto changes the texture of the pesto quite a bit. I did try it out with uncooked asparagus or marinated in lemon, but I didn’t find it satisfying. As I said, my friends, the recipe I’m bringing to you today, is packed with aromas and entirely gratifying. 

You might wonder, what is this black pasta? Yes. Let me tell you about it. Don’t be intimidated that it’s black.

The new plant-based kinds of pasta on the market are sensational. I already have a black bean pasta recipe on the blog that is just fantastic. Here, see for yourself.

However, this black pasta is a rare find, and it’s made with activated charcoal. It’s the plant-based solution to the classic Squid Ink pasta. How amazing is that? I don’t know much about an activated charcoal pasta, but I hear we’ll more of it on the market. So elegant and attractive looking. And yes, that’s what got to me first, the package. It doesn’t’ have a specific taste, on the contrary. I find it tastes the same as any pasta. In this recipe, you can use the alternative of black rice pasta, or black beans (as I’ve mentioned), and it would work just as well. Don’t forget, the star of the recipe is the asparagus lemon-ginger pesto.

Now, two things that I highly recommend to you. When it comes to the ginger used in this pesto, do try to go with fresh ginger or grated pickled ginger as I used. Health stores in North America usually carry pickled ginger in small jars. Alternatively, use fresh ginger root and grated finely. It makes a difference in the overall flavour of the pesto. Second, do bake the garlic cloves. Do not be afraid; they’ll not burn during the 20 minutes of broiling. If this is a new method to you, keep an eye on the baking garlic cloves. But trust me. The more they roast, the more caramelized the garlic will get inside, meaning the more aroma to the dish. 

The most “challenging” part of this recipe is broiling or roasting the veggies, which is super easy. You don’t have to peel anything except a small onion. This recipe is so worth making, my friends. I’m super excited to add this gem to my list of developed recipes. 

My most profound passion is to develop recipes and execute them, of course. If I could do that for the rest of my life and make a decent living, I’d be the happiest gal. :) I want to make people smile when they try out my recipes. If I’d invite you over to dinner at my place, a big smile is guaranteed. 

 Love having you here part of the Soulfully Tasty community. Thank you for sharing my recipes, and making sure others get to check them out as well. 

Until next time,

T