Summer Vegetable Pesto Pasta - Nourished By Nutrition Print

Summer Vegetable Pesto Pasta

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4.3 from 3 reviews

This summer vegetable pesto pasta recipe is loaded zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes, and bell peppers. A light and healthy summer pasta in less than 30 min. Feel free to use the recipe included for homemade pesto or save some time and use your favorite store-bought pesto.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Pesto:

1 cup fresh basil

2 tablespoons hemp seeds

2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon

1 ½ tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 clove garlic

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup olive oil

For the Pasta:

½ tablespoons olive oil

½ yellow onion sliced

1 small zucchini, halved and sliced

1 small yellow summer squash, halved and sliced

1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

½ teaspoon sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces short pasta (fusilli, penne, farfalle, rigatoni, etc.) 

¼ cup prepared basil pesto

Instructions

For the Pesto: (skip this step if using store-bought pesto) Place garlic a food processor or blender and pulse until roughly chopped. Then add the basil, hemp seeds, lemon juice, salt, and pulse into a rough paste. Turn on the food processor, and drizzle in the olive oil through the opening in the lid of the food processor. If your food processor doesn’t have an opening add the olive oil to the container with the rest of the ingredients and let the food processor run until you reach your desired consistency. Depending on the size of your food processor, you may have to scrape down the sides of the food processor.

For the Pasta: Start by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil. While the water heats up, start your veggies. Once the water boils, cook the pasta according to package instructions. In a medium pot, add water and set over high heat. When pasta is done, reserve ½ cup of pasta water. Drain pasta.

In a large skillet add olive oil and set over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot add the onion, zucchini, yellow summer squash, bell peppers, and tomatoes. Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Saute about 5-8 minutes just to soften the squash. Set aside till pasta is done cooking.

Place the pan of vegetables back on low heat, add the cooked pasta, pesto, and ¼ cup of reserved pasta water. Add more water to reach the desired consistency of the pesto. liquid. Toss to coat. Taste and adjust the seasoning, garnish with nutritional yeast parm, Parmesan cheese, hemp seeds, and more basil leaves if desired. Serve warm. 

Store leftover pesto pasta in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. Pesto will keep in the fridge for a week or in the freezer for 3-6 months.