Penne With Roasted Asparagus and Balsamic Butter

Asparagus? Check

Penne noodles? Check

Balsamic Vinegar? Check

Butter? Of course!

These are the main ingredients to this wonderful and very simple pasta dish. I thoroughly enjoyed this dish for the simple fact that it was meatless. What's that you say? You didn't think I liked dishes without meat?? Yes, yes it's true. Sometimes I feel like I need to go a day without eating meat. I consume a lot of it, so a day here and there without any meat is just fine by me.  My carnivore husband would not agree, in fact he even suggested next time I make this to add chicken. Not gonna happen though, I love this dish just the way it is. I do like to be healthy whenever I can be, though from my list of recipes you would never know that. :)

Penne With Roaster Asparagus and Balsamic Butter

1 pound fresh asparagus spears

1 tbsp. olive oil

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tsp. light or dark brown sugar

1 pound Penne pasta

4 Tbsp. butter, cut into pieces

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

               

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard them. Cut the asparagus spears into 1-inch pieces. Put the asparagus on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with the oil and ¼ teaspoon of the salt and ¼ of the pepper. Roast until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

While the asparagus roasts, put the vinegar in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until the vinegar is reduced to about 3 tablespoons, about 5-10 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar and the remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper. Remove from the heat.

Cook the penne in a large pot of boiling salted water until just done, 11-13 minutes. Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Stir in the butter and vinegar mixture. Toss to combine well. Add in the asparagus, Parmesan, and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Serve immediately with additional Parmesan cheese for serving.