To shake up the vegetable routine, try Asparagus “Pasta” with Garlicky Bread Crumbs.
To shake up the vegetable routine, try Asparagus “Pasta” with Garlicky Bread Crumbs.Deb Lindsey/The Washington Post

It’s a fun and practical way to shake up the usual vegetable routine. Raw vegetable noodles cook in minutes, thanks to their increased surface area. You can prep them a day in advance, so they make for an easy weeknight dish. You can’t go wrong simply sauteing them in a skillet with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Add a handful of fresh herbs or a squeeze of lemon for an extra layer of aroma and flavor.

Or take the pasta concept more literally and toss cooked vegetable ribbons with tomato sauce or pesto. You also can combine generous amounts of vegetable “pasta” with regular noodles for a heaping main course that’s more healthfully balanced than the typical pasta dinner.

Asparagus is easily “pasta-fied” with a standard vegetable peeler. Here, inspired by of one of my most-craved spaghetti dishes, I toss the quickly cooked ribbons with garlicky toasted bread crumbs for a vegetable side dish that has decadent richness and unforgettable appeal.

Krieger’s most recent cookbook is Weeknight Wonders: Delicious Healthy Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013). She blogs and offers a weekly newsletter at www.elliekrieger.com.

Asparagus ‘Pasta’ with Garlicky Bread Crumbs

Make ahead: The asparagus may be prepped (before cooking) up to 1 day in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
1 piece whole-grain bread (1½ ounces)
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
2 bunches thick asparagus spears (about 1½ pounds total)
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
Method:
Tear the bread (including the crust) into pieces, letting them fall into a food processor. Pulse to form fine crumbs. Transfer to a medium skillet, along with the garlic and ½ tablespoon of the oil. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the crumbs are browned and crisped a bit. Season with half of the salt; remove from the heat.
Cut off and reserve the asparagus tips. Hold an asparagus stem by its woody end; resting the stalk on top of a cutting board, use a vegetable peeler to peel the tender part of the stalk into long, thin strips. Discard the woody stem. Repeat with each asparagus stalk.
Heat the remaining 1½ tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the shaved asparagus and the tips; cook, stirring gently, until slightly wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and the remaining salt and the pepper.
Sprinkle with the crisped bread crumbs and the parsley; toss, and serve right away.
Nutrition information per serving: 120 calories, 4 g protein, 11 g carbohydrates, 7 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 100 mg sodium, 4 g dietary fiber, 3 g sugar
Recipe by nutritionist and cookbook author Ellie Krieger.