Quick & Easy Vegetarian Pesto Pasta Primavera
Tossed in a basil pesto and packed with colorful spring and summer vegetables, this vegetarian pesto pasta primavera is a quick and easy way to use up fresh produce!
Ingredients
- 1 box spaghetti or whatever pasta you prefer
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 zucchini sliced in half rounds
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 pint snow peas ends trimmed and strings removed
- 1 bunch garlic scapes or 2 cloves garlic
- 3-5 green onions chopped
- 1 cups pesto if you made pesto ahead of time and froze it, you could use your own
- 4 ounces Feta cheese
Instructions
- Prepare pasta according to package directions, but subtract 2 minutes from the cooking time.
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add in the peas and onions first and let them cook for a few minutes. Add in the squash and cook until veggies just begin to soften.
- When draining pasta, try to leave a couple of cups of cooking water in the pan. Dump the pasta back into the water in the pan and return it to the stove over medium heat. Add a tablespoon or two of olive oil and stir the pasta to distribute it throughout.
- Transfer the cooked veggies to the pasta pot. Add the spring onions and garlic scapes and stir through.
- The pesto was a little tricky. I have a very large jar of refrigerated pesto from Sam's Club, and I wasn't sure how much to use. I added it a few heaping spoonfuls at a time and mixed it through the pan. I kept adding until the pasta was green enough for my taste. It was about a cup.
- Just before serving, sprinkle with feta cheese. I love feta, so when I sprinkle my spaghetti with it, approximately 1 ounce per serving
Notes
Garlic scapes are only available for a couple of weeks in the late spring to early summer, and typically only in the northern US and southern Canada. This is because they grow from hard-neck garlic which does not grow in warmer climates. (Not sure about other parts of the world.) Garlic scapes are typically available only in farmer's markets; I've never seen them in a grocery store. If you've never used garlic scapes before, head over to this page for some tips and more delicious recipes.
If you can't find garlic scapes, feel free to use 2 to 3 cloves of garlic.
Nutrition
Calories: 637kcal | Carbohydrates: 78g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 616mg | Potassium: 551mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1961IU | Vitamin C: 69mg | Calcium: 270mg | Iron: 4mg
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