Veggie Pasta with Pesto Sauce
Who doesn’t need a cozy bowl of pasta every so often? Who also doesn’t want to deal with the fact that pasta isn’t all that good for you? I get it, but because I am a firm believer in moderation, I will now give you permission to eat THIS veggie pasta every once in a while.
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Why should you eat this veggie pasta?
This pasta is loaded with veggies that are good for you! I use and alternative pasta that is made from brown rice and quinoa. This is not the same as standard pasta, even though it’s in a full “pasta” disguise. I got mine from Trader Joe’s; the ingredients are Organic Brown Rice, Organic Quinoa Flour and Water. So simple.
Those that are on a gluten free diet, paleo diet, or even a TQI (anti-inflammatory) diet should have no trouble with this pasta. However, I must say, even though it’s more nutritional than the durum wheat stuff, keep it in moderation. Conveniently, Amazon also sells a large variety of alternative pastas; if you try any, let me know how you like them!
What about the veggies?
You can find the veggies in this pasta pretty much all year – zucchini, tomatoes, yellow squash and broccoli. If you cannot find them fresh, you will most likely be able to find them frozen (and already chopped up!). If you know you will be short on time, the veggies can be prepped ahead of time. Just chop them up and keep them in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge. Also, while chopping up all the veggies, consider chopping a double portion for an additional easy throw-together meal the following day. Here is my Salmon with Pesto Sauce recipe that only takes a few minutes to throw together once all the prep is done. Get the recipe here.
Where to get good pesto
Pesto sauce is relatively easy to make at home. The NY Times published a really simple and easy pesto sauce recipe, find it here. If you’re not in the mood to make the pesto sauce, get it from the local Farmer’s Market; the grocery store or Amazon also has some great jar pesto that will work as well. Just read the ingredients! Rule of thumb – if you don’t recognize the ingredients, it’s probably not a clean product; choose something else.
Here’s the recipe; let me know how you liked it in the comments!
Veggie Pasta with Pesto Sauce
Equipment
- 1 cutting board
- 1 knife
- 1 pot
- 1 frying pan
Ingredients
Pasta
- 1 cup uncooked Brown Rice and Quinoa Fusili Pasta (or alternative) from Trader Joe's
Veggies
- 7 cherry tomatoes
- 1 yellow squash
- 1 zucchini
- 1 cup broccoli
- ½ Tbsp. olive oil
- ¼ cup pesto sauce
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to the cooking instructions on the package.
- While pasta is cooking, wash and chop the veggies – cut the tomatoes in ½ lengthwise, slice the yellow squash and zucchini in ¼ lengthwise, then into ½ inch slices, chop the broccoli florets into bite sized pieces.
- In a frying pan, heat the olive oil over med-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add the chopped veggies; saute, stirring frequently, for about 10 min.
- Reduce the heat to med-low, stir in the pesto sauce, and continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes.
- Toss the cooked pasta into the veggies. Separate into two portions and enjoy.
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