Vegetable Pasta and Pesto Toss

Submitted by: Natalie Kretzer, RD
Yield: 4 servings (1 cup pasta and 1 cup of vegetables)

vegetable_pesto_toss.jpgSmells of sugar and spice and everything nice wafting from the oven brings children of all ages to the kitchen. Make baking even more flavorful by substituting some of the all-purpose flour in your recipes with other flours. This recipe calls for the use of buckwheat flour. Buckwheat is a gluten-free, pseudo cereal which adds a rich and bold flavor to any recipe. Because it does not contain gluten, only part of the flour could be substituted in this recipe.

Ingredients

Pesto Sauce

  • 2 Tablespoons pine nuts, pecans or walnuts
  • 1 cup Tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 cup Fresh basil
  • 2 cloves Garlic
  • 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • ¼ tsp Pepper

Pasta and Vegetables

  • 8 oz Whole wheat spiral pasta
  • 1 medium Yellow squash
  • 1 medium Zucchini
  • ½ cup Chopped red onion
  • 2 cloves Garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbsp Olive oil
  • 1-15 oz can Cannellini beans
  • 10-15 Kalamata olives
  • 1 cup Grape tomatoes, halved
  • 2 Tbsp Chopped fresh basil for topping

Directions

  1. Spread pine nuts on a pan and broil for about 1-2 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside.
  2. Cook pasta according to directions on the box.
  3. While pasta is cooking, slice zucchini, squash, onion, and garlic. In a large skillet heat 1 Tbsp oil over medium heat and add the onion and garlic when hot. Sauté the garlic and onion for about one minute and then add the zucchini and squash. Continue to cook vegetables until they are soft and cooked through (about 5 minutes).
  4. When vegetables are cooked, turn off heat and set aside.
  5. Combine all pesto sauce ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.
  6. Drain and rinse cannellini beans, adding to pasta water 1 minute before pasta is finished cooking.
  7. Drain pasta and beans and return to their pot.
  8. Cut Kalamata olives into fourths and add with the grape tomatoes to the cooked pasta and beans.
  9. Combine vegetables with the pasta and pour the pesto sauce over top. Stir until the pasta and vegetables are well mixed.
  10. Let the pasta sit for about 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh basil.

Nutritionals (1 cup pasta and 1 cup vegetables)

Calories: 512; Total Fat: 17 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 863 mg; Carbohydrates: 73 g; Fiber: 14 g; Sugar: 9 g; Protein: 18 g; Vitamin A: 30% DV; Vitamin C: 50% DV; Calcium: 13% DV; Iron: 22% DV