Hot Brown Butter Asparagus Carbonara
A fresh take on the classic, this carbonara is laced with brown butter, chilli and in-season purple asparagus. Rich, creamy and packed with flavour—without using cream! On the table in under 20 minutes, it’s the perfect quick dinner that still feels special.
Serves: 2 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes Total time: 20 minutes Dietary: Vegetarian (if using veggie parmesan)
Ingredients
Pasta + veg
180g spaghetti
180g purple asparagus, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
15g butter
2 chunky garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Good pinch dried chilli flakes
Small squeeze of lemon
Salt + pepper
Sauce
4 fresh egg yolks
10g Manchego, grated
50g parmesan, grated (plus extra to serve)
5–6 tbsp starchy pasta water (plus 90–100ml more for finishing)
Method
Prep the asparagus: Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add chopped asparagus and cook for 3 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking.
Cook the pasta: Return water to the boil, add spaghetti and cook to packet instructions. Halfway through, scoop out a mugful of starchy pasta water.
Make the sauce: In a mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, Manchego, parmesan, salt + pepper. Slowly add 5–6 tbsp of the pasta water to form a glossy sauce base.
Brown the butter: Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add butter and let it melt until golden + nutty-smelling. Add olive oil, garlic + chilli flakes. Simmer for 1½ minutes. Toss in the asparagus and turn off the heat.
Bring it all together: Drain pasta and tip straight into the bowl with the sauce. Mix quickly to coat. Add it all into the frying pan, pour in the remaining 90–100ml pasta water and toss everything until the sauce thickens and clings to the pasta.
Finish with more parmesan, a squeeze of lemon, and a crack of black pepper. Serve hot!