This luxurious creamy saffron pasta recipe, made with tagliatelle, saffron cream sauce and asparagus, is perfect for a special occasion. It is quick, easy to make and you can customise the veggies in this pasta dish to make it your own!
- Creamy Saffron Pasta Ingredients
- Vegan Saffron Pasta
- How to make Saffron Pasta
- Serving Suggestion
- Storage
- Other saffron recipes
For a decadent pasta recipe with amazing flavor, look no further than this Saffron Pasta.
Garlic and asparagus are cooked in butter, then tossed through cooked pasta and a silky saffron sauce.
The creamy sauce is made with single or heavy cream and is infused with the flavor of saffron and garlic.
Prepare this One Pot Lemon Ricotta Pasta , Masala Pasta or Air Fryer Pasta Bake for a perfect weeknight dinner.
Creamy Saffron Pasta Ingredients
All ingredients are available in local grocery stores.
Pasta – you can pick any pasta shape but I love long pasta with white cream sauces. I’ve used tagliatelle, you could try pappardelle.
Creamy saffron sauce – made with garlic, cream and high-quality saffron threads.
Asparagus – I love British asparagus when in season. I chop it into 2 inch pieces. You can use other vegetables such as trimmed green beans or courgettes (zucchini).
Garlic – you need fresh minced garlic for the best results. Garlic powder is not a good substitute here.
Salt and black pepper
Olive oil or butter
Optional additions:
Lemon zest
You may wish to add in cherry tomatoes
Vegan Saffron Pasta
You can make this recipe dairy-free by using plant based butter and cream for the sauce.
For an option without cream, use coconut milk.
How to make Saffron Pasta
Prepare the saffron sauce and set aside.
Add the dried pasta to a large pot of salted water and cook to packet instructions or until al dente.
Meanwhile, in a sauté pan, heat oil or butter on medium heat and add the minced garlic. After a few seconds, tip in the asparagus and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
Add the saffron sauce and simmer on a low heat for a minute.
Tip in the cooked pasta, season with salt and pepper and stir well.
Serve immediately.
As the pasta cools, it will significantly thicken so reserve a cup of pasta water and stir through as needed.
Serving Suggestion
For a complete delicious meal, serve with a side salad such as Zucchini Ribbon Salad . A simple green salad would also go good with saffron pasta.
Pair with a white wine or non alcoholic sparkling wine.
Serve for date night, a dinner party, Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day.
Storage
Store leftover pasta that has reached room temperature in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Reheat in the microwave or on the stove on low heat.
I do not recommend freezing this recipe.
Other saffron recipes
Saffron Milk
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
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Creamy Saffron Pasta
Equipment
- 1 pan
Ingredients
- 2 cup pasta dried
- 1 cup asparagus cut into 2 inch pieces
- 2 cup creamy saffron sauce
- 2 tablespoon garlic minced
- salt to taste
- pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the saffron sauce and set aside.
- Add the dried pasta to a large pot of salted water and cook to packet instructions or until al dente.
- Meanwhile, in a sauté pan, heat oil or butter on medium heat and add the minced garlic. After a few seconds, tip in the asparagus and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the saffron sauce and simmer on a low heat.
- Tip in the cooked pasta, season with salt and pepper and stir well.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Note:- This post was originally posted on May 18th 2017 but I have updated the post since with helpful content.
Creamy Saffron Pasta
Equipment
- 1 pan
Ingredients
- 2 cup pasta dried
- 1 cup asparagus cut into 2 inch pieces
- 2 cup creamy saffron sauce
- 2 tablespoon garlic minced
- salt to taste
- pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the saffron sauce and set aside.
- Add the dried pasta to a large pot of salted water and cook to packet instructions or until al dente.
- Meanwhile, in a sauté pan, heat oil or butter on medium heat and add the minced garlic. After a few seconds, tip in the asparagus and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the saffron sauce and simmer on a low heat.
- Tip in the cooked pasta, season with salt and pepper and stir well.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
This plain boiled Basmati Rice recipe is my go-to side dish with Indian meals. You can make perfectly fluffy basmati rice with separate grains with an option to drain or not drain the water.
Day to day, I make plain basmati rice to pair with curries and daals.
For North Indian food, I tend to go for jeera rice (rice with cumin seed) and occasionally this takeaway style pilau rice.
It’s my go-to because plain boiled rice is so quick to make – simply rinse then cook in boiling water.
I use two methods to make the rice interchangeably – either drain and rinse the water or use absorption and both instructions are provided below. Absorption is most commonly used day to day, but if you are making rice in larger quantities, the draining method works better.
Ingredients
Full ingredients with measurements are available in the recipe card below at the end of this post
Basmati rice – this recipe uses white basmati rice.
Water – cold water
Oil – a dash of oil – to keep the grain seperatley
Salt – optional
Lemon juice – optional. It keeps rice on whiter side.
How to make perfect basmati rice
Absorption method
Wash rice under cold running water or rinse. I wash atleast 4-6 times or until see clear water.
Optionally, soak the rice in cold water for 30 minutes. This step will help the rice grain cook more evenly and faster.
Boil water in a pan, with a ratio of 1:2 rice to water.
Once boiling, optionally add the oil, salt and lemon juice.
Add the rice to the boiling water and cook on medium heat until 80% done.
Close the lid and allow the rice to finish cooking in the steam.
Gently fluff the rice grains using a wooden spoon or fork.
Draining method
For this, you need a ratio of 1:3 rice and water.
Cook the rice as above but once 90% done, carefully drain away all of the water.
Spread the cooked rice in a large wide shallow bowl to prevent the bottom rice grains mushing.
Picture proof – look at how fluffy and separate each grain is here!
Pro Tips
- If you cannot soak for full 30 minutes, soak for as long as you can.
- Ensure you soak the rice in cold water (not chilled or boiling) straight from the tap.
- The ratio of water will change based on the brand of rice you use and how long you soak the rice
- If the boiling water is close to overflowing, reduce the heat to a simmer
- Use a tight fitting lid to cover the pot when steaming.
- The draining method is useful if you are making rice in larger quantities.
Serving Suggestion
Serve basmati rice along with Indian vegetarian curry recipes . It also goes great with dal recipes like Whole masoor dal .
In Gujarati weddings, whole spices such as cloves and ghee are added to the rice and served with Gujarati dal . It also goes with Gujarati kadhi .
Storage
Cooked basmati rice can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer to maintain its freshness and quality for later use.
Refrigerator Storage:
- Allow the cooked basmati rice to cool down to room temperature before storing.
- Transfer the rice to an airtight container or a resealable plastic bag.
- Stored properly in the fridge, cooked basmati rice can last for up to 4 days.
- You can use cooked rice to make South Indian coconut rice .
Freezer Storage:
- Allow the cooked basmati rice to cool completely before freezing.
- Place the rice in airtight containers or freezer-safe bags.
- To thaw frozen basmati rice, transfer it to the refrigerator and allow it to thaw overnight. Alternatively, you can reheat it directly from frozen in the microwave.
This method would also work for brown basmati rice. However, I do suggest soaking the rice for longer (about 1 hour, if time permits) before boiling. Brown rice naturally takes longer to boil, but soaking it before boiling should cut the time it typically takes by about half. I’d start checking for doneness half way through cooking and take it from there.
Other Basmati Rice Recipes
Schezwan Fried Rice
Coconut Milk Pulao Rice
Vegetable Pulao
Rice Kheer
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
- YouTube
Basmati Rice
Equipment
- 1 pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice white
- ½ teaspoon oil any flavourless oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 cups water
Instructions
Absorption method.
- Wash rice under cold running water or rinse. I wash atleast 4-6 times or until see clear water.
- Optionally, soak the rice in cold water for 30 minutes.
- Boil 2 cups of water in a pan.
- Once boiling, optionally add the oil, salt and lemon juice.
- Add the rice to the boiling water and cook on medium heat until 80% done.
- Close the lid and allow the rice to finish cooking in the steam.
- Gently fluff the rice grains using a wooden spoon or fork.
Draining method
- For this, you need a ratio of 1:3 rice and water.
- Cook the rice as above but once 90% done, carefully drain away all of the water.
- Spread the cooked rice in a large wide shallow bowl to prevent the bottom rice grains mushing.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
