This fabulous creamy asparagus spaghetti recipe is based on a classic Italian dish known as asparagus alla Bismarck or asparagus alla Milanese. Both names refer to steamed or blanched asparagus topped with a fried egg, melted butter and Parmigiano cheese. In this pasta version, the asparagus are both blanched and creamed with a few spears fried in butter. I used quail eggs, but normal eggs are perfect too.
What is asparagus alla Bismarck?
Cooked asparagus served with a sunny side up egg on top is a popular starter or light lunch in Northern Italy. It is often referred to as asparagus alla Bismarck after the Prussian Prime Minister and first German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, who is said to have loved eggs and eaten up to 12 in one sitting!
Here in Italy, you can also find pizza alla Bismarck and steak alla Bismarck on restaurant menus, particularly in Lombardy.
Ingredients for asparagus spaghetti with fried egg.
This pretty simple spring recipe actually only has a few main ingredients; eggs, fresh green asparagus, a white onion, butter and Parmigiano cheese.
The eggs: I used quail eggs for my creamy asparagus spaghetti. You can use normal large eggs too. One large chicken’s egg per person is probably enough. Instead of frying the eggs, you can poach them.
Some versions of this recipe use fried egg yolk. In this case, the egg yolks are covered in breadcrumbs and kept in the coldest part of the fridge before being fried. Bring the eggs to room temperature before using.
The asparagus: This is a spring recipe, traditionally made during asparagus season. It is probably possible to make this with frozen asparagus if it’s not that time of year, but I haven’t tried doing that. I imagine fresh asparagus are more flavorful. Choose thin young green asparagus for best results.
The onion: I recommend using white onions or shallots because they are less pungent than other onions. A strong onion flavor will overpower the taste of the asparagus and eggs.
Cheese: The creamy asparagus spaghetti recipe I followed calls for freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano or pecorino romano. However, these cheeses aren’t vegetarian friendly as they contain animal rennet. To keep this recipe 100% vegetarian, use a vegetarian parmesan cheese or a hard grating cheese made with vegetable rennet.
Pasta: This recipe calls for spaghetti. I used spaghetti made by Felicetti, a Northen Italian pastamaker. Of course, you can use other long pasta such as linguine or egg noodles like tagliatelle or fettuccine. If you want to make your own fresh homemade egg pastas check out my how to make tagliatelle recipe.
Step by Step recipe instructions.
Start by preparing the asparagus. Remove the woody ends of the asparagus and then wash them. Blanch the asparagus in a large pot of water that has been salted and brought to a boil until just tender and then rinse under very cold water.
This will help keep their bright green color. Keep the water to cook the spaghetti in. If the pot you used is too small for the spaghetti, transfer the water to a pasta cooking pot and add more water if necessary.
Cook’s tip: To break asparagus, hold one spear at a time with one hand near the tip and hold the end with the other hand. Bend the asparagus near the bottom end until it snaps off. The stalk will typically break at the exact point where the tender part meets the woody, fibrous part.
2) Bring the water back to a boil over a medium high heat and cook the spaghetti in the boiling water until al dente according to the package instructions. Save a cup of the pasta water and drain the spaghetti.
3) While the pasta cooks, put aside some of the blanched asparagus to be fried in butter. Then cut off the spears of the remaining blanched asparagus and put them in a small bowl with a few stalks as well. Next, cut the remaining stalks into small pieces. Peel and finely chop the onion.
4) In a large non-stick skillet, sauté the onion and cut asparagus stalks over a low-medium heat in melted butter or a tablespoon of olive oil until both have softened. Use a wooden spoon to stir like in a stir-fry.
5) Add a little of the hot pasta water and cream the onion and asparagus in a food processor or transfer it to a deep bowl and cream with an immersion blender.
6) Return the creamed asparagus to the large skillet and add the saved asparagus tips and stalks to it. Add kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper according to taste. Let the beautiful pureed asparagus sauce simmer on a low heat while you sauté the last remaining asparagus in butter until soft.
7) Add the cooked spaghetti to the creamed asparagus with some Parmigiano or vegetarian cheese.
Toss everything together and simmer over a very low heat while you fry the eggs.
8) Finally fry the eggs in butter. For the best flavor and consistency, the eggs need to have runny yolks.
Place the spaghetti with creamy asparagus sauce on to serving plates. Then, place the fried eggs on top of the pasta along with the remaining sautéed asparagus. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
What to do with leftovers
Leftover fried eggs don’t reheat well but any leftover spaghetti with asparagus sauce can be kept in a sealed airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. You can then reheat by frying in butter or a drizzle of olive oil.
Alternatively, heat in the microwave with a little added water or vegetable broth. A really delicious leftovers idea is to make a spaghetti frittata similar to this carbonara frittata or to bake in the oven topped with a generous amount of grated cheese and pieces of butter.
Cook’s tip: Instead of throwing away the woody ends of the asparagus keep them in the freezer to use in vegetable or beef broth.
Let me know what you think.
This unique Italian asparagus spaghetti with fried eggs makes a lovely starter or light lunch. This truly wonderful dish is bound to be a big hit with asparagus lovers. Plus, it really only needs just a few ingredients.
The very simple sauce has just asparagus, cheese and onion in it and it takes less than an hour to make the whole dish. Definitely a good dish for impressing guests with little effort.
If you try this pasta version of asparagus alla Bismarck do let me know what you think. I’d love to hear how it turns out and if you liked it. So, please leave a comment here on the blog or on The Pasta Project Facebook page.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Buon appetito!
More asparagus pasta recipes to try.
Creamy asparagus spaghetti with fried quail eggs.
This fabulous creamy asparagus spaghetti recipe is based on a classic Italian dish known as asparagus alla Bismarck or asparagus alla Milanese. In this pasta version, the asparagus are both blanched and creamed with a few spears fried in butter. I used quail eggs, but normal eggs are perfect too.
Equipment
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1 large pot to cook asparagus and spaghetti
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1 small frying pan to cook eggs
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1 sharp knife to cut asparagus and chop onion
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1 chopping board
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1 handheld immersion blender to purée sauce
Ingredients
- 1.1 pounds fresh green asparagus
- 11.5 ounces spaghetti
- 1 white onion peeled and finely chopped.
- 12 quail eggs or 4 normal eggs
- 1.5 ounces unsalted butter
- 2 ounces Parmigiano Reggiano or grana or Pecorino romano. Freshly grated.
- salt to cook asparagus and spaghetti and to taste.
- freshly ground black pepper. to taste
Instructions
-
Start by preparing the asparagus. Remove the woody ends of the asparagus and then wash them. Blanch the asparagus in a large pot of water that has been salted and brought to a boil until just tender and then rinse under very cold water. This will help keep their bright green color.
-
Keep the water to cook the spaghetti in. If the pot you used is too small for the spaghetti, transfer the water to a pasta cooking pot and add more water if necessary.
-
Bring the water back to a boil over a medium high heat and cook the spaghetti in the boiling water until al dente according to the package instructions. Save a cup of the pasta water and drain the spaghetti. (keep it warm )
-
While the pasta cooks, put aside some of the blanched asparagus to be fried in butter. Then cut off the spears of the remaining blanched asparagus and put them in a small bowl along with a few stalks. Next, cut the remaining stalks into small pieces. Peel and finely chop the onion.
-
In a large non-stick skillet, sauté the onion and cut asparagus stalks over a low-medium heat in melted butter or a tablespoon of olive oil until both have softened. Use a wooden spoon to stir like in a stir-fry.
-
Add a little of the hot pasta water and cream the onion and asparagus in a food processor or transfer it to a deep bowl and cream with an immersion blender.
-
Return the creamed asparagus to the large skillet and add the saved asparagus tips and stalks to it. Add kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper according to taste. Let the beautiful pureed asparagus sauce simmer on a low heat while you sauté the last remaining asparagus in butter until soft.
-
Add the cooked spaghetti to the creamed asparagus with some Parmigiano or vegetarian cheese. Toss everything together and simmer over a very low heat while you fry the eggs.
-
Finally fry the eggs in butter. For the best flavor and consistency, the eggs need to have runny yolks.
-
Place the spaghetti with creamy asparagus sauce on to serving plates. Then, place the fried eggs on top of the pasta along with the remaining sautéed asparagus. Serve immediately.
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Notes
Cook’s tip: Instead of throwing away the woody ends of the asparagus keep them in the freezer to use in vegetable or beef broth.
Note for vegetarians.
This recipe calls for freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano or pecorino romano. However, these cheeses aren’t vegetarian friendly as they contain animal rennet. To keep this recipe 100% vegetarian, use a vegetarian parmesan cheese or a hard grating cheese made with vegetable rennet.
Nutrition
Calories: 513kcalCarbohydrates: 69gProtein: 22gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 260mgSodium: 275mgPotassium: 525mgFiber: 6gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1467IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 241mgIron: 5mg
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