Pesto Veggie Pasta
Vegetable pesto pasta is so flavorful and easy to make. This healthy pesto primavera is ready in just 20 minutes and is great for dinner or lunch and can be served hot, cold or room temperature. This meatless meal is filling and a great use for summer produce.
Servings 4
Calories 569kcal
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini squash
- 1 medium summer squash
- 1 medium bell pepper
- 1/2 cup tomatoes
- 12 oz pasta
- 1 can chickpeas
- 3/4 cup pesto
Spinach Cashew Pesto
- 1 cup fresh basil
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium lemon, juiced
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 cup cashews
- 1 cup baby spinach
Instructions
- Make the pesto by adding all the ingredients to a food processor and processing on high until thick and smooth (1-2 minutes, scrape down the sides if needed).
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Preheat a large skillet over medium to medium high heat.
- Chop the vegetables: cut the zucchini and yellow squash into 4 long pieces then chop into 1/2 inch pieces. Cut the bell pepper and tomatoes into bite size pieces.
- When the skillet is preheated, spray with olive oil or avocado oil and add the zucchini and squash. Cook for 4-6 minutes, stirring regularly.
- After 4-6 minutes, add the bell peppers and tomato the skillet with the zucchini and squash and cook 4-6 additional minutes. Turn off the skillet once the squash gets soft.
- When the water comes to a boil, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente.
- Right before draining the pasta, reserve about 1/2 cup of starchy pasta water.
- Add the pasta, rinsed and drained chickpeas and pesto to the skillet with the vegetables. Stir well.
- Add 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water to the pasta. Stir well and add more of the pasta water if needed.
- Test for seasoning and add any additional salt if needed.
Video
Notes
Top tips
- Use enough pesto –use least ¾ cup of pesto, but if you can get closer to 1 cup, that is ideal.
- Use pesto that you really love
- Be sure to reserve some of the pasta cooking water
- I like to cut the zucchini and squash a little thicker for this recipe, but if you need them to cook even quicker, you can cut them a bit thinner.
- If you don't have time to cook the veggies, I recommend using roasted red peppers, canned or jarred artichoke hearts (chopped), and fresh chopped tomatoes.
- Save time by making the homemade pesto in advance (or using store bought) and chop the veggies in advance. You can store chopped vegetables in the fridge in a airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Make this even more filling by adding in your favorite protein.
- Make this pesto veggie pasta lower in carbs, replace the pasta with spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles, or hearts of palm pasta.
- Fridge: Store leftover pesto vegetable pasta in the fridge in a well sealed container for up to 4 days.
- You can enjoy the leftover veggie pesto pasta cold from the fridge (making it great for meal prep lunches), as room temperature or reheated (in the microwave 2-3 minutes or on the stove in a small skillet, covered over medium low heat with a tablespoon or two of water added).
- Freezer: I don't recommend freezing this recipe.
Nutrition
Calories: 569kcal | Carbohydrates: 92g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 15g | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 9g
