Pesto Pasta with Vegetables
Add your favorite vegetables to this delicious pasta dish. I used frozen broccoli, peas, and green beans for a monochromatic look. Red bell peppers or carrots would be a vibrant color contrast.
Ingredients
16 oz 100% whole wheat pasta
2 cups of frozen or fresh vegetables
2 cups fresh basil – leaves and small stems (save a few leaves for garnish)
3 Tablespoons pine nuts
3 large cloves garlic, peeled
3 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon salt
¼ - ½ cup pasta cooking water
Lemon wedges
Steps
Boil a large pot of salted water for pasta and vegetables. Start pesto.
Measure basil, pine nuts, garlic, nutritional yeast, and salt into a food processor or blender. Blend on low for about 20 seconds.
Add pasta to water and return to a boil. Cook pasta for 5 minutes. Scoop out ½ cup of pasta water. Add vegetables to boiling water with pasta and cook for 6 more minutes. Use a lid to maintain heat but watch carefully for boil over.
While pasta cooks, add pasta water to pesto, a little at a time. Blend until desired consistency is reached.
Drain pasta and vegetables and return to pot. Mix in pesto mixture. Serve with lemon wedges and fresh basil.