Remember the old slogan “Eat a rainbow”?
That’s what we did tonight!
Don’t worry so much about using exact amounts of vegetables. In my opinion, it’s better to have more veggies than pasta. The pesto is delicious with the cooked veggies just as a side dish, but for a more substantial meal, we added mezzo rigatoni pasta. Grilled chicken would be terrific with it, too. All in all, this pasta dish came together in about 35 minutes.
Summer Veggie Pasta with Creamy Pesto
Ingredients
Summer Veggie Pasta with Creamy Pesto
6 – 8 cups assorted veggies, including onions, eggplant, zucchini, hot or sweet peppers, all diced plus sweet corn (cut off the cob)
1 lb short pasta
1/2 fresh lemon
olive oil, salt, Parmesan cheese to taste
Creamy Basil Pesto
2 cloves garlic
2 cups basil, washed and dried
3 oz fresh goat cheese
Olive oil, about 1/4 cup
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Heat pan over medium heat, then add a good drizzle of olive oil. Spread the eggplant and onions in the skillet and let cook for several minutes stirring occasionally. Add in the zucchini and hot peppers. Stir to distribute, then salt to taste. Sauté for a few minutes, then add the lemon half, cut side down, to the center of the pan.
Allow this mixture to cook until all of the veggies are tender. Remove the charred lemon and squeeze the juice into the skillet. Meanwhile, boil the pasta until al dente. When the pasta is tender, scoop it out of the boiling water with a slotted spoon directly into the skillet. Stir well to combine, then add the basil pesto. Add a bit of pasta water to thin the sauce if necessary. Serve with grated cheese.
Drop garlic through the feed tube of a food processor WHILE THE MACHINE IS RUNNING. Add in the basil, goat cheese and a few tablespoons of oil. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl.