easy spring lunch

Spring time here is full of sunny days and rainy days. It's like a box of chocolates- you never know what you're going to get. (Thanks Forest.) This lunch is perfect for spring because it celebrates one of the best gifts (Asparagus!) and is a quick hot lunch to put together if the rain clouds roll in.

My mom gave me this recipe and I adapted it a little. I don't follow the recipe very well but thankfully this is a recipe where you just kind of throw it all together and it turns out great!

You'll need:

1lb asparagus

1 pint cherry tomatoes

a sprig of basil

a couple cloves of garlic

some olive oil

chicken stock (homemade or store bought)

whole wheat penne pasta

Parmesan cheese (the shredded kind, not the powder)

Cook about 8oz of penne pasta in boiling water until done; drain. Place in large serving bowl.

Cut garlic cloves up small; chop up your asparagus to a size that suits you. In a large saucepan, add about 3-4Tbsp olive oil (or however much you want.) Heat the oil and slightly cook the garlic. Then toss in the asparagus and cook for about 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Pour in 1/2c-1c chicken stock; again, determining how much is good for you. Cook together for about 4-5 minutes. Toss in the pint of cherry tomatoes. Cook for another minute or two.

The original recipe said to cook until the tomatoes burst, but I don't like them flat and soggy so I cook them just enough to warm them.

Cut up basil. Take your bowl of pasta, dump in the asparagus/tomatoe mix, add basil and parmesan cheese to your liking. I add about 1/2c. I also add it a little at a time and then stir in between so that the cheese doesn't get clumpy.

If you'd like, after you serve it into individual bowls, you can sprinkle a little more cheese over the top. Enjoy!

*Note- the original recipe also called for peas but the thought of sticking frozen, soggy peas in this made me gag. If you have snow peas that are currently ripe then they'd probably make a great addition!*