We all love pasta, especially us Italians! Pasta is one of my favorite foods in the world. Most people haven’t tried their pasta with pesto which means their missing out on an amazing flavorful experience. This healthy recipe is a great runner up to a traditional pasta pesto dish.
I decided to make this strictly vegetarian. When I saw the already spiralized noodles at Whole Foods Market staring at me in all it’s colorful grandeur, I knew I had to do something yummy with them. I mean the vibrant orange of the butternut squash, and the green of the zucchini and the orange of the carrots, were calling my name. I knew my pesto pasta was the best way to decorate these vegetables. I hope you love this recipe as much as I do. All the work is done already for you, it’s a matter of assembling these ingredients.
Ingredients:
2 cups of spiralized vegetables
(Spiralized zucchini, carrot and butternut squash *Whole Foods*)
6 cups water
2 Tbsp. olive oil (divided)
1 tsp. Pistachio Oil or other nut Oil
2 cloves fresh garlic
½ tsp. red crushed pepper flakes
4 Tbsp. pesto sauce (*Whole Foods*)
2 Tbsp. Pignoli nuts
½ cup of organic vegetable broth
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
½ cup hemp seeds
Directions:
Combine 6 cups of water in a sauce pan with a drop of olive oil and a pinch of salt. When water reaches a rapid boil, add spiralized vegetables for 5 minutes ONLY (just long enough to blanch, be carful not to over cook). Remove, drain and set aside.
In a large sauté pan add: chopped garlic, red crushed pepper, pignoil nuts & salt, stirring constantly over medium heat for approx. 2 minutes. Make sure the garlic only slightly toasts. Add cooked spiralized vegetable. Toss for 2 minutes to blend all the oil flavors with the vegetable “pasta”. Add pistachio oil. Stir for 1 minute longer then add the pesto sauce along with the vegetable broth and let it cook for 4 minutes longer. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and finish it off with a topping of hemp seeds. These add a nice texture.
ENJOY!