Roasted Vegetable Pesto Pasta

Tips & Tricks:

• 🔪 Skip steps with knife if you completed the prep ideas!
• 🥄 The pesto ingredients are not included in the shopping list! Be sure to add them if you choose to make it rather than buying pre-made.
• 🍄 This recipe has a lot of vegetables, enough to set aside 1/2 - 1 cup to use in the veggie egg cups (if you're making those for breakfast this week). Or just make this a very hearty vegetable pasta!
• 🍤 Want meat? Add cooked shrimp, chicken, sliced sausage, or salmon!
• ❌ Gluten free? Use your favorite GF noodles.
• 🥒 I use this OXO Spiralizer to make zoodles.
• ❌ Dairy free? Be sure to look for a DF pesto.
• 🚨Check out the Leftover Alert at the end of this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 green zucchini
• 1 yellow squash
• 8 oz mushrooms
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1 orange or yellow bell pepper
• 1 small bunch basil
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 lb bow tie pasta (or other favorite pasta, such as gluten free, if desired)(Or 2 medium zucchinis to spiralize at home or buy prepared if you don’t have a spiralizer)
• 1/2-3/4 cups of your favorite pre-made Pesto or DIY (look for dairy free if desired)
• 2 tbsp of grated parmesan (optional)

[DIY Pesto]

Directions:

1. 🔪 Veg Prep (can be done up to 3 days ahead)
1. If you're roasting the vegetable now, pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees while you chop the veg.
2. Quarter the zucchini and squash length wise, then cut into 1/2 inch pieces.
3. Chop mushrooms into similar size pieces as the zucchini and squash.
4. Halve tomatoes or keep whole if they are already a similar size to the other veg.
5. Chop bell pepper into a similar size as the other veg.
6. Spiralize the zucchini if you didn’t buy prepared zoodles.
2. Roast Veggies
1. Combine all of the vegetables onto a large sheet pan, optionally lined with tinfoil for easy cleanup.
2. Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables and toss to evenly coat.
3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Roast the vegetables at 400 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes, flipping and tossing the veg halfway through.
3. Cook Pasta (if you're using zucchini noodles, skip to step 4).
1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta, cooking according to package directions until al dente. [This is the rule I use for salting water for boiling pasta].
2. Strain the pasta, then add the pasta back to the pot (no heat).
4. Combine All
1. Drizzle in the pesto to the pasta (or this is when you add the zucchini noodles to the pot if using), tossing with tongs as you go. You want the pasta to be coated but not goopy — about 1/2 a cup, you should have some pesto leftover.
2. Add the roasted vegetables to the pot (set aside 1/2 - 1 cup to use in the veggie egg cups if making), and lightly mix to coat with pesto.
3. Add more pesto to taste.
5. Serve
1. Serve in bowls with a drizzle of pesto, a sprinkle of parm, and a shake of red pepper flakes or black pepper.

🚨Leftover Alert

1. Have extra pesto? Drizzle over eggs, spread on sandwiches, mix into soup, drizzle on roasted veggies, dip for fresh veggies or bread, steak sauce, and a million other uses!