$5 Fridays: CSA Edition

To celebrate the first week of receiving a CSA basket for the year, I'd like to share one of my favorite, super-simple suppers: Pasta with Spring Asparagus


*Note* Even though I got the asparagus in my basket, I'm using the price at Wegmans this week to calculate the total cost.  I'm not even going to attempt to calculate the price of one produce item for one week of the CSA share.


Pasta with Spring Asparagus
 (Serves 4)


1 small bunch asparagus (about 1/2 lb) -- $1.75
1 box pasta -- I used the Ronzoni Garden Delight, which was $.69 after using the $1 off 1 coupon in the 5/15 SS insert
3 tbs olive oil -- $.50
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan Cheese -- $1.75
Salt & Pepper to taste


1. Drizzle the asparagus with 1 tbs oil (Wegmans Basting Oil works well) and season with salt and pepper; grill for about 5 minutes until tender but still has a bit of bite.
2. While grilling, cook up the pasta on the stove. When both pasta and asparagus are finished, drain pasta (reserving about 1/2 cup cooking water).
3. Combine pasta, asparagus, the remaining oil, and the reserved cooking water (just use the pasta pot -- no need to dirty another dish!)
4. Finish with Parmesan and any fresh herbs you may have, and serve!


Total cost: $4.69