Description
Replace the same old weeknight pasta dinner with this vibrant and bold veggie pesto pasta! Use just one pan to roast a colorful medley of vegetables and take 5 minutes to whip up an insanely delicious basil pesto while the pasta cooks. This is my husband's favorite dinner yet it is so easy!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 8 ounces pasta of choice
Roasted Vegetables:
- 1 zucchini, ends removed and chopped into 1/2-inch chunks
- 1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper, stem and seeds remove, chopped into 1/2 inch chunks
- 1 small red onion, ends and peel removed, chopped into 1/2-inch chunks
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
Basil Pesto:
- 1.5 packed cups fresh basil leaves (large stems removed)
- 1/4 cup raw pine nuts
- 1/4 small lemon, juiced
- 2 large cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (use good quality!)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Prepare the veggies. Chop the zucchini, bell pepper and red onion into 1/2-inch chunks and place them in a 12-inch cast iron skillet. Drizzle olive oil overtop and season with salt and pepper. Toss well to evenly coat the veggies and spread into one even layer in the skillet.
- Roast the veggies. Place the skillet on the middle rack of the oven and roast for 30-35 minutes, tossing halfway. If your skillet is too crowded, divide the veggies into two skillets. Proceed to the next step while the veggies roast.
- Cook pasta in boiling water according to package instructions. Proceed to next step while the pasta cooks.
- Prepare the pesto. Place all pesto ingredients except the olive oil to the food processor and turn the motor on. Slowly stream in the olive oil while the motor is still running. Scrape down the sides as needed to blend further.
- Serve! Add pasta and roasted veggies to a bowl and then toss in the pesto. Feel free to garnish with red pepper flakes and/or fresh herbs. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 35
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Roasted