Ravioli with Pancetta and Asparagus in a Basil Cream Sauce Recipe
Tangy cream cheese, sweet basil and a wee bit of vinegar give this sauce just the right amount of flavor. Now that asparagus is not in season, try broccoli or brussel sprouts!
Ingredients
- 14 frozen cheese raviolis
- 1/2 cup Neufchatel cheese
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp minced onion
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 Tbsp parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp white vinegar
- 6 slices pancetta
- 8 asparagus spears, trimmed
Directions
- Heat a skillet on medium-high heat and cook pancetta until crisp. When done, move to a paper towel-lined plate and gently pat dry with another paper towel. Crumble with your hands and set aside.
- In a small sauce pot, combine Neufchatel â vinegar and place on low heat. Let cheese melt and flavors simmer for about 5 minutes. Whisk every so often to ensure cheese is not sticking to bottom of pan. Taste and season with salt/pepper if needed.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. As this is heating, wash your asparagus. Trim off tough edges and then cut each spear into 3 â 4 pieces, depending on the size.
- Cook ravioli according to package instructions. Blanch asparagus in the same water. Since my ravioli only took ~ 3 minutes to cook, I threw the asparagus in at the same time. You do not want to cook asparagus more than 3 â 4 minutes or it will actually start to cook instead of âblanchâ, so time this step wisely and according to your ravioli.
- Once ravioli is cooked and asparagus is blanched, drain in a large colander.
- Return ravioli and asparagus to large pot and toss with sauce. Sprinkle with pancetta crumbs and top with additional basil, if desired.
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