Pesto Pasta Verde
When canihaveabite was located in Brookside this was a regular dish on our Saturday menu. The recipe comes together quickly in under 30 minutes from start to finish. For the first two years of being open 6 days a week, I taught a Saturday morning pilates class in downtown Overland Park. The class finished at 10:00 and we opened at noon. I had roughly 30 minutes before we opened to finish the pesto pasta. So this recipe incorporates one of my favorite time crunch pasta techniques. Letting the hot pasta cook the vegetables for you. Let me know how it works for you!
Pesta Pasta Verde
Ingredients and Instructions
1 lb organic Ziti
1 to 2 small to medium heads of Broccoli , Wash the head, then cut flowers off the broccoli head. You may need to cut some flowers into half or fourths. You want them to be bite size.
2 small Zucchini, washed and cut into quarter moons. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise . Place one half flat side down on the cutting board and cut that in half lengthwise. Now cut these 2 halves into a 1/4 inch moons. Do the same with the other
1 Red Pepper, washed, seeded and diced
3 to 5 oz of delicate Seasonal Greens (spinach, arugula, chard) * 5 oz is the size of a box of lettuce at most stores
2 - 3 Scallions, washed and chopped
8 to 10 oz Pesto *Costco carries a good pesto that will save you a lot of money, unless you prefer to make your own
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano *Costco carries both of these parmesan pecorino romano
Preparation
Fill a 4 to 8 quart pot with water and place on a burner. Add 2 tsps of salt to the water. Turn the burner to a medium high. While you wait for the water to boil, prep the vegetables.
Use a large bowl to place the vegetables in as each is prepped as described above. When done toss them together. The drained hot pasta will go on top of them when it is ready.
Place pasta in water when it begins to boil (if it boils faster than expected you can turn the burner down to a lower heat while you finish prepping the vegetables) Cook for roughly 10 minutes til al dente. The pasta should have some firmness left, but not be hard. I scoop out a piece and bite it to check doneness. If it is overcooked it will fall apart when it is stirred. If you choose to use gluten free be very careful about not overcooking.
When pasta is done, pour the hot water and pasta into a colander so the water can drain. Take the hot pasta and put it over the vegetables in the bowl. Spread hot pasta so it covers the vegetables. Next, dollop the pesto over the hot pasta. Spread the pesto over the hot pasta, then begin stirring it all together. It is important to move quickly during these two steps as the pesto needs to be absorbed by the hot pasta and the vegetables will cook just enough to be tender but still crisp. Place into pasta bowls and top with cheese.
This pasta packages very well for a lunch or dinner the next day. I would package single servings into an oven safe pyrex dish with a lid. When you are ready to eat it take the lid off, cover the dish with a bit of foil or parchment paper to prevent it from drying out while heating. Place the dish in a 350 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes to warm it through. I like using a counter top convection oven for reheating dishes like this. I don’t use microwave ovens, so I can’t advise on that.
Seasonal Vegetables always compliment pesto pasta